Rise of Magic
by Sentinel Prime
Summary: The world of Remnant is a place of magic and mystery. One boy is about to change the meaning between those two words.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Bored. That's what he felt while walking down the streets in the middle of the night. There was absolutely nothing to do and nowhere special to go. He just walked aimlessly while making sure he didn't bump into anyone by mistake. Though, if he did he would quickly apologize and keep walking.

To everyone he was just a seventeen-year-old boy wandering the streets of Vale. Most of the time he just wanted to be left alone so he could enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. Sadly, his looks got the attention of many people, mostly girls his age, whether he liked it or not. He was 6.2 ft. tall, had well-kept jet black hair, and eyes as blue as the ocean. He wore a navy-blue t-shirt with matching pants and light blue sneakers. Over all of that he wore a black, long-sleeved trench coat that reached down to the back of his knees.

He decided to walk down the alleys to avoid attention from anyone that would either follow him for his good looks or for what he could have in his pockets. He wasn't worried about being attacked in any way though. He could defend himself from anyone who would try to rob him.

He was about to turn a corner when he saw five suspicious looking men enter a shop named From Dust Till Dawn. One of them looked familiar to him so he decided to follow them from a distance. However, when he got within a few feet of the store he saw a what looked like a red and black blur fly through the window and land on the pavement.

What he saw surprised him to no end. It was a girl two years younger than him taking on a bunch of criminals. He was going to help her when he saw her grab something from the back of her belt and pressed a button turning it into a scythe almost twice the size of her body. This left him speechless. How could someone so young use a weapon so big? Then again, he has seen other people use bigger.

"Okay." Said a shocked voice that caught his attention. Turning he saw the leader of these thieves and gave an aggravated sigh. Roman Torchwick, most famous criminal in all of Vale. He had crossed paths with him before on many occasions. He didn't mind the attire, the white tux, black gloves, even the cane looked stylish. The biggest problem he had with him was his tendency to cause havoc and the bowler hat on his head it totally ruined the look, as well as smoking a cigar.

 _Don't you know that stuff will kill you, Torchwick?_ The boy thought to himself.

"Get her." Roman finally said after five seconds of his men stalling. They rushed to get the girl but failed due to her beating them in fifteen seconds flat. The stranger was greatly impressed to see someone so young beat such big men in so little time. However, Roman's annoying voice brought him out of his amazement.

"You were worth every cent, truly you were." He said to one of the unconscious men, then pulled the cigar out of his mouth, crushed it on the ground and continued to speak. "Well Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening."

Hearing sirens in the distance Torchwick knew he had to get away and fast.

"And as much as I love to stick around," he continued while pointing his cane at the girl and revealing it to be a hidden gun "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

Firing a bullet, he made a quick run for it. The little scythe wielder was planning on dodging the blast when another blew that bullet into a different direction away from its intended target. Turning she saw a strange boy chasing after Torchwick up a ladder on a building.

"You okay if I go after them?" she asked the store keeper. He gave a quick yes of approval, showing he was OK, and she charged after them. She wanted to question the boy but settled her sights on catching Torchwick first since he was the one getting away. Using her scythe/gun as a pogo stick she quickly gained the lead and landed a few feet behind Torchwick.

"Hey!" she shouted to get his attention. It worked because he stopped just at the edge of the building.

"Persistent." He growled hearing her from behind. Hearing another voice, that was all too familiar to him, brought him from anger to surprise.

"TORCHWICK!" the boy shouted coming up right next to the girl, with a gun pointed at Torchwick. Turning around the thief saw who it was and gave an annoyed look.

"You again." He said "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Sorry, my good man," the boy said in a sarcastic matter "but I can't just let you get away like the last few times after I stopped you."

The girl gave a surprised look. The boy was chasing after Torchwick to catch him. What was he? An undercover cop? A detective? Or maybe a huntsman in training? Her questions came to a halt, however, when an airship came right behind Torchwick. The thief got into the craft and looked at them while pulling a crystal from his pocket.

"END OF THE LINE RED!" he shouted while throwing the crystal "AND YOU TOO COINSATRIEN!"

This brought an angry growl from the boy but that quickly became concern. When he saw, the crystal drop at his and the girl's feet he got a bad feeling about what Torchwick was going to do. That fear just intensified when the thief pointed his cane at them. Seeing only one option, the boy put himself in front of the scythe wielder just as the bullet hit the crystal. This caused a large explosion, which sent him flying into an air vent, head first, knocking him unconscious.

All he could feel was pain, mainly at his head. Waking up, he slowly got into a sitting position and when his eyesight was no longer blurry took a good look at his surroundings. He was in a room that looked like it belonged to a hospital. It was light colored, had doctor's equipment on one wall, and a curtain around where he was laying which was obviously a bed.

 _Yep,_ he thought to himself, _I am in a hospital._

The sound of a door opening brought him out of his thoughts. Expecting a doctor, what he got was surprising. A woman who looked to be in her thirties came into the room with what looked like a see-through tablet. She had blond hair that was tied up into a bun, wore glasses, wore a white and black blouse with a purple cape attached that looked like it need some work done, and black jeans with high heeled shoes the same color.

"How are you feeling?" she asked while not taking her eyes off the tablet.

"Like a freight-train hit me." The boy answered while rubbing where his head hurt most (which was the back).

"I'm surprised you didn't get burned in that explosion. How is that possible?"

"Forgive me for answering your question with a question, but who are you?"

This caused the woman to look up from her tablet at the boy. Her face supported an annoyed look as if he questioned authority which technically he did.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." She answered sternly.

"So, you're not the doctor." He said in a matter of fact voice getting him an angered look from the woman that made him shiver.

"I think that is enough Glynda." Said a new voice. This caused them both to look at the entrance. A man walked into the room. He had white hair, wore a suit that was all different colors of green, and had glasses. In his left was a coffee mug while in his right was a cane. The trait that caught the boys interest though was his white hair.

 _Funny,_ he thought, _he doesn't look old. He looks to be in either his late thirties or early forties._

"It is good to see you fully recovered young man." Said the new comer while taking a sip from his coffee mug.

"I wouldn't say fully recovered." The boy answered while rubbing where his head hurt. Then he remembered something important that made him nearly shout at the top of his lungs.

"Is the girl okay?!" he said.

"What girl?" Glynda asked.

"The girl who followed me when I was chasing Torchwick! Is she alright?! Is she hurt?!"

"You mean Miss Rose. Calm down young man." Said the man "She's perfectly fine. In fact, she will be attending my school very soon."

The boy gave out a sigh of relief. Then something hit him. The just said 'his school.' Did that mean he was the principle?

"I'm sorry, who are you?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing myself." The man answered "I am Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy."

"Okay, Professor Ozpin, why did you come to see me? I doubt it was to check on my health."

"Quite true, I came to invite you to attend Beacon."

To say the boy was surprised was an understatement. He was completely speechless. This man, Professor Ozpin, had invited him to attend his school. Naturally he would accept since he wished to further his education, but there was one question he had to ask.

"Why?"

"Why?" replied Ozpin "I believe that any person who would throw themselves in harm's way for a stranger, deserves a place in my school. Also, I believe that with the right training and education you will become a great huntsman and save many lives."

The boy looked the other way and pondered on his answer. Ozpin was very honest in the way he spoke. It gave him a feeling that he could trust the man. After ten seconds of thinking he turned back and gave his answer.

"I'll attend your school."

"Excellent." Replied Ozpin "Once you have a clean bill of health I will have someone pick you up and take you to Beacon."

"Thank you. Miss Goodwitch," the boy said getting the woman's attention "Sorry about the way I talked to you earlier. I didn't know if you could be trusted. I had a lot of people try to kill me in the past, sometimes in my sleep."

"Apology accepted." Glynda replied with the same neutral look.

"All right Glynda," Ozpin spoke "let's go. I'm sure our friend here would like to rest."

Both adults turned and started to leave the room. When they reached the door, however, Ozpin stopped in his tracks which caused Glynda to stop as well. The boy wondered why when Ozpin turned around and so did Miss Goodwitch with her tablet on what looked like a recorder.

"Forgive me," said Ozpin "but I never got your name. I'll need it so that I can register you at Beacon."

"Oh, sorry." The boy replied.

"Just speak your name into the scroll," Glynda said while handing him her tablet which he now figured was called a 'scroll' "and we will do the rest."

Taking the scroll in his hands, spoke his name into the microphone.

"Theodore Constantine."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The drive to Beacon was taking a little longer than expected to Theodore. He had been given a clean bill of health after 11 hours of being in the hospital. Once he found a phone in the city he called Ozpin and told him he was ready to go to Beacon Academy. After two days of waiting he was finally on his way to an academy that he had never heard of.

When the car came to a stop he got out and thanked the driver for the ride. When the vehicle was out of sight, he turned around and was stunned by what he saw. Beacon academy was huge, a lot bigger than he imagined. There were so many students here that he couldn't keep count. Looking up he saw ships landing and leaving the school. Having a better look, he saw that these ships were dropping off first years to Beacon.

 _They bring kids to this school in ships?_ He thought _This must be the best school in the county._

"Just weapons?" said a familiar voice "They're an extension of ourselves. They're part of us! Oh, they're so cool."

Turning around, he saw it was the same girl he ran into while chasing Torchwick, Miss Rose as he remembered from Ozpin, talking to someone else. It was another girl his age with blonde hair, purple eyes and was a few inches taller than Miss Rose. Her state of dress, however, was something he could live without. She wore black short shorts that only reached 12 inches past her hips, a brown, short sleeved jacket that showed some of her mid-section, and an orange scarf that covered most of her neck.

 _Lady please,_ Theodore thought _PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!_

"Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon?" the blonde replied to Miss Rose "Aren't you happy with it?"

Theodore was greatly surprised when Miss Rose activated her scythe right smack dab in the middle of the courtyard nearly making him jump.

"Of course, I'm happy with Crescent Rose," The girl replied while hugging her weapon "but I just like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people. Only better."

That last part she said with her head down. This brought a frown to Theodore's face when he saw how sad she looked.

 _She doesn't have any friends?_ He thought _I may be lost in some new place, but I have assurance knowing I've got friends looking for me. She must feel so alone most of the time._

He was brought out of his thoughts when the blonde spoke up.

"Ruby, come on." She said while pulling the girls hood over her face "Why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"

 _Ruby._ Theodore thought _That must be her first name._

"Why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby replied while pulling her hood back.

"Well actually," replied the blonde while seeing some other students "my friends are here now. Got to go catch up. See you, bye."

She then dashed right past Ruby, making her spin and causing her to become dizzy.

 _Well, that was rude._ Theodore thought to himself.

"Wait! Where are, you going?" Ruby shouted "Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms? I don't know what I'm doing."

She then fell onto some luggage that was right behind causing it and her to fall on the ground. Seeing this Theodore decided to go and help her.

 _Nice timing Constantine._ he scolded himself _You just had to wait until she fell on the ground to be a gentleman._

"Are you alright?" he asked Ruby while crouching down and holding his hand out to her. Ruby had her eyes closed and was rubbing her head from the fall. When she opened her eyes, she saw a hand in front of her, opened in a gesture to help her up. Following the hand to the face, she saw it was the same boy she ran into when she was chasing Torchwick. The same one who got in the way of the blast that was meant for her.

"Uh, sure." She replied while blushing from the kind gesture, also from his handsome face all while taking his hand.

 _Oh great._ Theodore thought _This is one of the things I was hoping to avoid._

He helped to her feet and was about to ask her if she needed to see the school doctor when another voice made him jump a few feet back out of surprise.

"What are you doing?!" it said. Turning around both saw it was a girl Ruby's height but from the looks, Theodore's age. She had white hair that was tied into a right ponytail, light blue eyes, a white long-sleeved dress accommodated with a combat skirt that reached half way down to her knees, and high-heeled combat boots. She also had a sword on the left side of her dress. Theodore, however, wasn't concerned about her attire. He was concerned about why she was angry with them. He turned to look at the luggage Ruby fell into and put 2 and 2 together.

 _Oh, shoot._ He scolded himself again _Now you've done it Constantine. You got this poor girl in trouble because of your lack of timing._

Ruby must have made the connection as well because she quickly apologized to the girl. Sadly, that wasn't the end of it.

"Sorry?!" she retorted "Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?!"

Ruby quickly gave one of her suitcases hoping that she gets the idea it was an accident.

"Uhh" she simply said while holding the suitcase.

"Give me that!" the girl said while snatching the suitcase and opening it. "This is Dust. Mined and purified from the Schnee Query."

"Uhh"

"What are you!? Brain dead!?" the girl said while pulling out a red vile and closing the suitcase. "Dust! Fire! Water! Lightning! Energy!"

Theodore was getting annoyed with this girl for not even letting Ruby reply while acting like a brat. He was mostly a patient man when it came to most people. The only ones in the world who ever made him this impatient were his dad and some of his friends back home, mostly his dad. This girl, however, was really irritating him. Here she was, acting like she was queen of the hill, scolding Ruby while shaking a vile in front of her and not giving her a chance to speak.

What he was most focused on, however, was the powder that was in Ruby's face while the girl was shaking the vile. He noticed that some powder came out of the suitcase when it was closed as well. Ruby now looked like she was on the verge of sneezing. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Are you even listening to me?!" that annoying voice brought him out of his thoughts "Is any of this sinking in?! What do you have to say for yourself?!

Having enough of this nonsense he started walking over to give this girl a piece of his mind when the unthinkable happened. Ruby sneezed, igniting the Dust causing an explosion her size composed of fire, lightning, and ice. It may have been small, but it was powerful enough to throw Theodore back a few inches making him land on his back. Getting up he bent his back until it cracked and stretched a few times to make sure he hadn't broken anything. Seeing he was fine he set his sights back on the girl he was going to give a talking to.

"Unbelievable!" she was shouting at Ruby who was pushing her right and left trigger fingers together out of nervousness "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about."

"I'm really, really sorry." Ruby replied with her head down.

"You complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"Well I-I-I-"

"That's enough!" said Theodore marching right in front of Ruby and facing the girl "She said she was sorry. It was an accident she fell on your luggage, but it was your fault that the explosion happened."

"I beg your pardon?!" the girl retorted surprise evident all over her face.

"If you hadn't been so busy criticizing Ruby, who was trying to help you I might add, you would have noticed the vials weren't properly sealed. That caused Dust to get in her face, make her nose itchy and sneeze triggering the explosion."

"Why you-do you even know who you're talking to?!"

"No, I don't." Theodore said while crossing his arms over his chest "And to be honest, I don't care, empress."

"It's heiress actually." Said a new voice. Turning around all three saw a girl Theodores age. She had black hair, with a bow on top her head, and gold eyes. She was wearing a white-black colored, sleeveless vest. She also wore white-black skinny jeans with purple shoes. There was some rope tied to both of her hands that almost reached to her elbows. Her left arm had a sleeve that reached from her wrist all the way to her shoulder.

"Weiss Schnee," she continued while holding up a vile with a logo on it "heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy prepollent in the world."

"Finally," the girl, known as Weiss, said with a smile "some recognition."

"Wait for it…" Theodore whispered to Ruby.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." The girl finished causing Weiss' face to show both surprise and anger.

"What?! How dare-?!" she nearly shouted getting in the girl's face "The nerve of-?!"

Theodore had a smirk on his face while Ruby was trying to contain her laughter of how the tables had turned for the young heiress. Finally having enough, Weiss took the vile from the girl, which was obviously hers, and walk away with some helpers pulling her luggage behind her.

"I promise I'll make it up to you!" Ruby shouted at Weiss as she walked away. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day."

"Hey, don't be sad." Said Theodore putting a hand on her shoulder. The cause Ruby to look up at him at a questionable look. "It could have been worse. You might have been the one caught in that explosion instead of me. Oh, that reminds me." Turning around he was going to say thank you to the girl who put Weiss in her place, but saw her walking in the other direction instead.

"Guess she likes her privacy." He said to himself "I'm sorry, where are my manners?" Turning back to Ruby he held out his hand to her. "My name is Theodore, Theodore Constantine."

"Ruby Rose." She said with a smile while shaking his hand. Just then a boy Theodore's age came up to them. He had blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He was wearing what looked like a black hoodie with armor covering it. He also wore shoulder armored shoulder pads and brown fingerless gloves on his hands. On the left side of his belt, a sword in its sheath was tied there.

"Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?" Ruby said with a snicker.

"Nice way to start a conversation Ruby." Theodore said sarcastically "Why don't we take a walk. You're welcome to join us mister…."

"Oh, I'm Jaune." The boy answered joining them on their walk.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on." Jaune said to the two. The three kids were walking in what looked like a pavilion. It was surrounded by trees, grass and bushes. There was pavement only for walking a path to not cause any harm to the plants.

"Look, I'm sorry." Ruby apologized. "Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh yeah," the boy replied "what if I called you Crater Face?"

"Hey, that explosion was an accident."

"Well, the names Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

"Do they?" Theodore asked.

"They will. Well I…I hope they will. I mean my mom always says that…Eh, never mind."

"Well, at least your name is easier to pronounce than Theodore Constantine."

"Theodore Constistrine?" Jaune asked cause Theodore to a do a face palm.

"No, it's Constantine," he replied "C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-E. Con…stan…tine."

"Wow, you're right. At least I got a name that's easier to pronounce."

Ruby chuckled at how the two argued about their names and decided to start a conversation.

"So…I got this thing." She said while pulling out Crescent Rose and slamming it into the ground causing both boys to jump back in surprise.

"Woah! Is that a scythe?" Jaune asked with a hint of fear.

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle."

"A what?"

"It's a big gun." Theodore answered.

"Oh…that's cool!"

"So, what have you got?" Ruby asked Jaune.

"Oh, uh…I-I got this sword." He answered while drawing his sword from its sheath. This brought a whistle from Theodore.

"The blacksmith, who made that, did a fine job." He said.

"Yeah, I've got a shield too." Jaune added while grabbing his sheath and morphing it into a shield with a symbol on it.

"OK, that is awesome." Theodore said.

"So, what do they do?" Ruby asked while touching the shield. She must have pressed a wrong button because the shield started to transform from what it was to a sheath and vice versa. Jaune tried to catch it but failed. Theodore picked up the shield, now transformed to a sheath, and handed it back to its owner.

"Thanks." Jaune said while taking his sheath from Theodore and turning it back into a shield.

"You're welcome." He replied.

"The shield gets smaller," Jaune explained while turning it back into a sheath "so when I get tired of carrying it I can just put it away."

"Wouldn't it weigh the same?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, it does." He replied.

"Well," she started with a nervous laugh "I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I did go a little overboard in designing it."

 _Overboard?_ Theodore thought _I think overkill is the proper word for-_

"Wait, you made that?" Theodore and Jaune both said at the same time.

"Of course," she replied "all students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

"It's a hand-me-down." Jaune replied "My great-great grandfather used it to fight in the war."

 _There was a war?_ Theodore thought to himself _I really need to look at the history of this place._

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me." Ruby said. "Well, I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah," Jaune said while putting away his weapon "the classics."

"I have to agree with Ruby on this one." Theodore spoke up "Swords, spears, clubs, bows, arrows, those were the first weapons that everyone used before guns and cannons were invented."

"You have a point there." Jaune replied.

"Theodore," Ruby said getting the boys attention "why did you help me back there? In the courtyard."

"Why not?" he replied "Do I need a reason to help someone?"

This caused Ruby to look up at him in surprise. He didn't know her, she didn't know him, and he just helped her because he wanted to? The only type of people who did that were heroes in stories she would hear about.

"I'm sure Jaune would have helped you even if I didn't." he continued gesturing to the said boy.

"Of course," he replied with a smile "my mom always says 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

"Your mom is real smart." Theodore said.

"Hey, where are we going?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, I don't know." Jaune replied "I was following you guys."

"I think I got us lost." Theodore said.

"You think there might be a directory?" Jaune asked "Maybe a food court? Some sort of recognizable landmark?"

Those two last questions caused Ruby and Theodore to laugh.

"Is, uh, is that a 'no?'" Jaune asked.

"That's a 'no.'" Ruby replied with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

To say Theodore was amazed with the how big the hall was would be an understatement. He was downright impressed with how well it was designed. The windows, columns, paint color, size of the room, everything took his breath away.

 _This room is bigger than the entrance to the Hall of Justice._ He thought to himself.

"Ruby! Over here!" a voice shouted that caught the attention of the three newcomers. Turning Theodore saw it was the same girl Ruby was talking to earlier before he met her. "I saved you a spot!"

"Oh. Hey, I got to go." Ruby said to the boys while running off "I'll see you after the ceremony."

"OK. See you later." Theodore replied then looked at Jaune "Looks like it's just you and me now."

"Yeah, looks that way." Jaune replied.

"Come on. Let's go find a spot to hear the announcements." With that said the two boys walked away from the entrance closer to the stage. Unknown to them a girl was watching both leave, specifically Jaune. Once they found a spot a conversation started.

"Hey, Theodore," Jaune said "can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Theodore replied.

"What's your family like? I mean do you have any siblings?"

"No, I don't have any siblings sadly. I'm an only child."

"Wow. You must get pretty lonely sometimes."

"Yeah, sometimes. What about you? Do you have any siblings?" That question must have caught Jaune off guard because there was a surprised look on his face.

"I'm sorry." Theodore answered "I didn't mean to offend- "

"No, it's OK." Jaune replied "You just took me by surprise. The answer is yes, I do have siblings. All of them being girls."

"Sisters, that's nice. How many? Two? Three?"

"Uh…seven actually." Jaune hesitantly replied.

"Woah!" Theodore said with a surprised look in his face "Playtime must have been a nightmare for you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Didn't they put make up on you or something?"

"No, they mostly just braided my hair and play dolls with them."

"At least they didn't make you wear powder or lipstick."

"Yeah, thank goodness to that." This caused both boys to laugh at the statement. Just as they had finished laughing Professor Ozpin had walked onto the stage and began to speak into the microphone.

"I'll keep this brief." He started while adjusting his glasses "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you finish you plan to dedicate your life your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Finished speaking he walked away from the microphone and off the stage. Glynda Goodwitch took the spot shortly after.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight." She said "Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed."

Theodore felt that Ozpin was looking at him the whole time during the speech. It felt very disturbing to him. The thought left him however when he saw Jaune looking at something. Following his gaze, he saw it was one girl he was hoping never to cross paths with again, Weiss Schnee. He knew all too well what that look was in Jaune's eyes.

 _Oh, great._ He thought _I should probably keep him from embarrassing himself._

Jaune started to walk over to her, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at Theodore shaking his head as if telling him not to.

"Don't." Theodore said "I've met her, and she is not one who is up for conversation."

"That bad, huh?" Jaune replied.

"Yeah."

Nighttime came slowly for Theodore, though he didn't mind it. It gave him time to set up his sleeping quarters in the ballroom. He had set up a black tent that could fit at least two people. When night had fallen, he had changed into his sleeping wear, which was composed of dark blue sleeping trousers and a water blue t-shirt. Preparing to go to sleep, something caught his eye. It was Ruby, lying down on a sleeping bag, dressed in her sleep wear, writing something. Her sleep clothing composed of a mask with grim eyes, a black sleeveless shirt with a heart shaped grim on it, and white pants covered with roses.

"It's like a big slumber party." A girl shouted while propping down next to Ruby. Theodore saw it was the same girl from both at the courtyard and the hall. She was in her sleep wear as well. It was almost the same as Ruby's, but slightly different. She wore the same sleeveless shirt except it was orange with a fiery heart on it, showing some of her midriff sadly, and black sleep shorts.

"I don't think dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby replied.

"I know I do." Said the blonde while purring in the process. Her gazing was ruined, however, when Jaune walked by in night wear that almost made Theodore laugh. He was wearing a full light blue body suit with a bunny on it, complete with bunny slippers.

 _Are you kidding Jaune?_ Theodore thought while trying to contain his laughter _That's something a five-year-old would wear._

"Oh, hey Theodore." Said Jaune while waving. Theodore gladly waved back while smiling, still trying to contain his laughter. Jaune than continued walking to his sleeping bag.

"Theodore?" asked a voice. Turning he saw it was Ruby looking at him with a surprised look.

"Hey, Ruby." Theodore replied "I was hoping to find you. Been wanting to talk to you since the ceremony ended. Sadly, some preparations needed to be done before chatting with friends."

"Oh, sorry for not coming to find you afterwards either." Ruby said "Had to get ready for tomorrow."

"Ruby, who's your friend?" asked the blonde.

"Oh, sorry Yang. Theodore meet my big sister Yang. Yang meet Theodore."

"Pleasure to meet you." Said Theodore while holding out his hand.

"Pleasure's all mine." Yang replied while taking his hand and shaking it. "So, you're the knight in shining armor who helped my little sis back in the courtyard."

"Yeah, I'm that person." Theodore said while blushing. "Forgive me, but did Ruby just call you her big sister?"

"Yep. Yang Xiao Long, huntress in training and big sister to Ruby." She stated while pointing to herself.

"I'm sorry to ask, but how are you related? Did you have different parents or was Ruby adopted? You both have different last names. To be honest I don't see much of a family resemblance."

"Oh yeah, Ruby and I have the same dad but different mothers." Yang replied with a sad tone. Theodore felt like he had crossed a personal line and didn't like it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to open old wounds." He apologized.

"No, it's okay." Yang replied smiling "What about you? What are your parents like?"

"My mom was a great magician while my father…he is sort of on the odd side."

"Your mom…was a magician?"

"She passed away a year ago."

"I'm sorry. Looks I'm the one opening old wounds."

"It's okay. You didn't know." Theodore then looked past Yang to Ruby "What are you doing Ruby?"

"Writing a letter to the gang back at Signal." She replied looking up at Theodore "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Awwww, that's so cute!" Yang replied in a semi-high pitched voice which earned her a pillow in the face, courtesy of Ruby.

"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

 _I know how that feels._ Theodore thought.

"What about Jaune?" Yang asked "He's…nice. You also have Theodore. There you go! Plus, two friends. That's a hundred percent increase."

"I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend." Ruby replied while turning to lay on her back with her hands behind her head.

"I think rival or enemy is the proper term." Theodore suggested, which also earned him a pillow, shaped like a cat, in the face.

"Look, it's only been one day." Yang said "Trust me. You've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet."

Theodore was thinking of adding something to Yang's advice when he heard a match being struck. Turning to the direction of the sound, he saw the same girl from when he and Ruby first ran into Weiss. She was sitting on the floor reading a book. Her source of light was a 3-way candle stick which is why he heard a match being struck. She was dressed in what looked like a Japanese kimono, except instead of it being covered in designs it was all black.

"That girl." Ruby said.

"You know her?" Yang asked.

"Not really. She saw what happened this morning but left before Theodore or I could say anything."

"Well, now's your chance." Yang replied while getting up, grabbing Ruby's arm in the process. She started dragging her over to the girl's spot with a lot of protest from her younger sister. Theodore was following closely behind with an amused look on his face.

 _I wonder if these troubles would be upon me if I had an older brother or sister._ He thought to himself.

"Hellooooo!" Yang shouted to the girl in a singing voice. "I believe you two know may each other."

"Aren't you that girl that exploded?" she asked Ruby with a neutral look.

"Um…yeah." Ruby replied while holding out her hand "My name's Ruby, but you can just call me Crater…. actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay." The girl replied while not looking away from the book she was reading.

 _She acts like she doesn't care._ Theodore thought to himself _Reminds me of one Damion Wayne._

"What are you doing?" Yang whispered to Ruby.

"I don't know." Ruby whispered back "Help me."

"So, what's your name?" Yang asked the girl.

She gave an annoyed sigh before replying. "Blake."

"Well Blake, I'm Yang. Ruby's older sister. I like your bow."

"Thanks."

"It goes great with your…pajamas." Theodore face palmed himself from hearing that comment.

 _Really Yang? Really?_

"Right."

 _I better do something before they embarrass themselves further._ "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Theodore Constantine."

Blake looked up at Theodore with a surprised face.

"Theodore Constantine?" she asked, "As in the Criminal Chaser Theodore Constantine?"

"You heard about me?"

"What did she just call you?" Yang asked.

"You haven't heard about him?" Blake asked Yang and Ruby. Both shook their heads. "He's the reason crime went down so fast in Vale. Even the police know about him."

"Woah!" exclaimed Ruby having stars in her eyes. "That's so awesome!"

"Uhhhh…yeah. Thanks." Theodore replied while blushing.

"You don't like the attention?" Blake asked.

"I don't like the idea of becoming a celebrity." He answered. "By the way, what are you reading?"

"Oh…well…it's about a man with two souls. Each fight for control over his body."

 _Sounds like someone else I knew._ Theodore thought.

"Oh yeah, that's…real lovely." Yang said.

"Be nice." Theodore said to her.

"I love books." Rudy said to Blake "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons I want to be a huntress."

"Why is that?" Blake asked, "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right and who protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's very ambitious for a child, unfortunately the real world isn't the same as a fairytale."

"Well, that's why we're here. To make it better."

"Ohhh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang exclaimed while grabbing Ruby in a bear hug and lifting her in the air while baby talking.

"Cut it out!" Ruby said while trying to pry Yang off her. Theodore was trying not to laugh at the cat fight he was watching.

"Well Ruby, Yang, Theodore," Blake said "it's been a pleasure to- "

"What in the world is going on over here?!" someone said. Theodore turned around to see, to his annoyance, none other than Weiss Schnee. She wore a sleeping dress that stopped halfway past her thighs and her hair was not in a bun which reached past her back. She had an irritated look on her face showing she was not happy.

"Don't you know that some of us are trying to sleep?!" she continued with the same scowl on her face, but it quickly turned to surprise when she saw who it was. Even Yang stopped teasing Ruby and had an angry look at Weiss which Theodore could not understand.

"OH, NOT YOU AGAIN!" they both shouted.

"Shh! Guys, she's right. People are trying to sleep." Ruby said to calm them down.

"Oh, now you're on my side." Weiss exclaimed.

"I was always on your side!"

"Yeah! What's your problem with my sister?" Yang asked, "She's only trying to be nice."

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss replied.

"The only hazard to your health, ice princess, is your attitude." Theodore cut in "You need to smile more."

"Excuse me?!" the heiress replied.

"Well, it's been lovely chatting with you girls," Theodore said while letting out a yawn "but I'm going to hit the sack. Good night."

"Good night, Theodore." Ruby replied.

"Good night, Theo." Yang said with a smile which turned into a frown when Theodore looked back at her. He had an angry look on his face.

"Please," he said "don't…call me that." Unzipping his tent, he started to get inside.

"No! We are not finished Canristine!" Weiss exclaimed while marching after him.

"It's Constantine!" Theodore replied "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."

"I said, we are not done!"

"Try to come into this tent. I dare you!" the last part had a growl of anger to it that made Weiss back off. Seeing that she wasn't pestering him anymore, he zipped up the tent and went to sleep.

"Well, that was interesting." Blake said to herself. She put her book away, and blew out the candle to go to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Theodore woke up refreshed after a good night's sleep. Heading to the bathroom he changed into his usual attire, brushed his hair and then followed the other students to where he was supposed to go. While looking for his locker he was constantly distracted from his search by a hyper active voice. Search for the source he found it was a girl his age following a boy the same age. She had orange hair and light blue eyes. Her wardrobe consisted of a white short shirt with some black in it and a small, heart shaped hole above her chest. The collar of the shirt had a Dracula look to it. Her arms had cut sleeves on them and her hands had pink, fingerless gloves. She also had a pink, short skirt that reached halfway, past her thighs. On the whole outfit looked like metal to keep everything in place.

 _Guess there is a thing about going into battle with style._ Theodore thought to himself and continued to search for his locker. His search was interrupted again when he heard the girl talking again.

"I know! We'll have some sort of signal. Like a distress signal." The girl paused and took a gasp of breath "A secret signal so that we can find each other in the forest. Can you imitate a sloth?"

"Nora." Said a new voice that made Theodore pause his search and look at who just talked. It was a boy his age, the same height, purple eyes and black hair with a small strand of pinkish/purple in it. He wore what looked like a Chinese combat suit from one of the Jackie Chan movies he used to watch, only it was green with black and gold trims. The only thing that looked normal for a Chinese movie were his white pants. In his hands were two guns colored green with knives on the bottom.

 _Green must be his favorite color._ Theodore thought.

"Yes, Ren?" The girl now known as Nora asked. Ren held up his arms, with the guns still in his hands, and somehow made them slip into the sleeves of his shirt without any trace of them being in there.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." He answered. This caused a confused look on Nora's face which then turned to happiness.

"That's why it's perfect!" she exclaimed "No one will suspect we're working together."

"Come on Nora," Ren said while closing the locker "let's go."

"But not together, together." She replied while giggling and following Ren with a skip in her step.

 _Well that was weird._ Theodore thought while finally finding his locker. Opening it with the code he was given, inside was his trench coat. Grabbing it, his put it on and then closed the locker. Looking around he saw Yang and Ruby a few steps away. He started walking over to them, getting their attention by waving and shouting "Morning."

"Morning." Both said with smiles on their faces. Theodore stopped in front of them.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"We slept fine." Ruby answered with a happy tone.

"Yeah, I needed the sleep for today." Yang said then turned to her sister "So, Ruby, you seem awfully jibber this morning."

"Heh, yup, no more awkward small talk or getting to know you stuff." She replied while pulling out Crescent Rose "Today, I get to let my sweetheart do all the talking."

Theodore looked a little creeped out to see Ruby hugging her weapon like it was the most precious thing in the world.

 _I feel sorry for the poor soul who would dare break that weapon._ He thought.

"Well, remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation." Yang said, "If you want to grow up you're going to have to meet new people and learn to work together."

Ruby gave a growl of annoyance before replying.

"You sound like dad." She said while putting away her weapon "OK first of all, what does meeting people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up. I drink milk."

"I don't think Yang means growing up physically Ruby." Theodore said, "I think she means growing up emotionally."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Growing up emotionally means you learn new things from other people. Whether it be from friends or total strangers."

"Exactly!" Yang exclaimed "Thank you, Theodore. Besides, Ruby, how will you be when we form teams?"

 _Teams?_

"I don't know." Ruby replied, "I'll just be on your team…or something."

"Maybe, you should try being on someone else's team." Yang said nervously while playing with her hair.

 _Why do I get the feeling an argument is about to start?_

"My dearest, sister Yang, are you implying you do not wish to be on the same team as me?!"

"What?! No, of course I do. I just thought…I don't know. Maybe it would help you break out of your shell."

"What the-?! I don't need to break out of my shell! That is absolutely- "

"Ridiculous!" Jaune interrupted, unintentionally, while walking past the girls and Theodore with a sheet of paper "There is no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday. I would have remembered having to count that high. Why does this have to happen today?"

"Hey Jaune!" Theodore called while walking to him "Need some help?"

"Huh? Oh, hey Theodore." Jaune replied "Sure, I could use some help. Just looking for my sword. Can't believe I lost it when initiation is about too- "

"Found it."

"You did?!"

"Yeah, locker 636."

"Thank you." Using the key, he was given Jaune opened his locker for his sword. Right as he grabbed his weapon, however, it slipped out of his grasp and started sliding on the floor.

"Oh, come on!" Jaune exclaimed.

"I got it!" Theodore stated and ran for the sword. Using his foot, he stopped the sword and grabbed it. While he was picking it up, however, he saw a pair of combat boots that he recognized. Standing up, he was met with the last person he wanted to run into.

"Ice princess." He said.

"Coinstritane." She replied.

"It's…Con-stan-tine."

"Constantine? As in Theodore Constantine?" asked a new voice.

Theodore looked past Weiss and saw another girl staring back at him with a look of surprise. She had red hair, that was tied into a bun and eyes as green as rubies. She wore a gold head piece that sort of looked like a crown. Her armor consisted of a bronze and gold breastplate, left arm guard and gold leg guards complete with dark red boots. She had a red mini skirt that stopped half-way past her thighs.

 _She could pass for an Amazon._ He thought.

"Um…yes." He answered.

"Wait. You know him?" Weiss asked the girl.

"From the news." She replied "Haven't you heard of him? Last year when crime was on the rise in Vale it suddenly came to a halt. Criminals were being dropped off left and right at police stations. It was on every news channel."

Weiss gave a surprised look at Theodore.

"I honestly find that hard to believe." She said.

"Believe what you want. I don't care." Theodore replied then looked to the girl behind Weiss. "I'm sorry, I don't think we met. Hey, Jaune! Get over here!" 

"Sorry, Theodore. What did I miss?" Jaune asked while running to Theodore's side. Turning his direction, he saw someone else next to Weiss and stuck out his hand to her. "Hello, I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."

 _Really Jaune? Really?_ Theodore said while face palming himself.

"Hello, I'm Pyrrha Nikos." She replied while taking his hand and shaking it.

"So, how does this team thing I've been hearing about work?"

"From what I've heard, I think the teams are comprised of four students each. So- "

"You don't say." Jaune interrupted "Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and maybe you can join up with the winning team."

 _Please make it stop._ Theodore pleaded. Luckily and sadly one person decided to stop the conversation but not in a nice way.

"Jaune, is it?" Weiss asked getting between the two "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"

"Not in the slightest, ma'am." Jaune replied

"This is Pyrrha."

"Hello again." Pyrrha said.

"Pyrrha graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum." Weiss continued.

"Never heard of it." Jaune replied.

"She's won the Mistral Regional Tournaments four years in a row. A new record."

"The what?"

Weiss now supported an angry look on her face.

"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!" she exclaimed while waving her arms around. Jaune let out a gasp of surprise from hearing this.

"That's you?!" he asked while pointing at Pyrrha "They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool." Pyrrha replied "Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

"So, after hearing all of this," Weiss asked Jaune "do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?"

"I guess not." Jaune said hanging his head down. "Sorry."

 _This girl is trying my patience!_ Theodore thought to himself. Before he could step in, however, Pyrrha beat him to the punch.

"Actually, Jaune" Pyrrha said while walking up to him and putting her right hand on his left shoulder "I think you'd make a great leader."

"Oh, stop it!" Jaune said immediately perking up. Theodore was about to head back to Ruby and Yang, with a smile on his face, when he saw Weiss walk up. The smile immediately turned into a frown.

"Seriously?" Weiss said "Please stop it. This kind of behavior should not be encouraged."

"Sounds to me like someone is jealous." Theodore said while walking up to Weiss and getting in her face "You bash Jaune simply because you think he is incapable of being a leader. I believe that with positive attitude like that, he could be a lot better than you."

"Alright, that's a bit too close." Weiss said than looked behind her "Pyrrha, a little help, please."

Pyrrha, out of instinct, immediately pulled out her weapon, which looked like a red and golden javelin and threw it at Theodore. She expected it to latch onto either his shirt or coat and pin him to the wall or one of the lockers. What she didn't expect was Theodore putting his right hand into the left part inside his coat to pull it out quickly, swatting the spear away, making it clatter to the floor and land right in front of Pyrrha. Looking at her weapon and then back at Theodore she was surprised to see what he had used to block it. It was a claymore sword. It had a shiny silver color to it, and it was big. The measurement was precisely 6'1" ft. What surprised her the most, however, was that he was holding it with one hand.

"Please," he asked while pointing the sword to her "be more careful where you throw that thing."

"O-o-of course." She stuttered "I'm sorry."

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation?" the speaker with Glynda Goodwitch's voice sounded. "Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"Well, good luck out there." Pyrrha answered while grabbing her weapon. Theodore just answered with a nod while holding his sword onto his shoulder. Weiss quickly walked out of there mostly from fear of being near Theodore with that weapon in his hand. Pyrrha shortly followed, but not before turning to Jaune and saying, "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise." Jaune replied while smiling. Once she was out of side, he immediately turned to Theodore.

"How did you do that?" he asked, "And with a weapon that big no less."

"Lots of practice." He answered casually. He then saw Ruby and Yang walking up to them with looks of surprise on their own faces. Ruby's face, however, immediately switched from surprise to fascination.

"Is that your weapon?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yes, it is." Theodore replied, "I'll give you the details later."

Pulling the leftmost of his coat open, Theodore positioned the sword at the middle pocket of three and to everyone's surprise put it completely in there. The three soon to be students had looks of shock on their face.

"Oh, by the way Jaune, here's your sword." Theodore said breaking Jaune out of his stupor to take his sword and put it in its sheath.

"Uhhhhh…thanks." Jaune replied.

"Well, let's get to the cliffs. We don't want to be late." With that said Theodore left the locker straight to where the initiation would begin. It took a total of five seconds for the three to process his words before chasing after him, their heads full of questions.

The cliff side to where the initiation would take place was to say a long walk. To Theodore, however, the view once someone got there was breathtaking. The forest was plain view and it showed mountains and the sky had almost no clouds.

 _Wish I had my camera._ He thought to himself. Once he got to the cliff, he was told by Professor Goodwitch, who was waiting for all the students with Professor Ozpin, to stand on what looked like a memorial stone. It had two olive leaves facing away from one another and two axes crossing each other.

 _This must be Beacon's emblem._ He thought. He was chased out of his thinking, however, when Ozpin spoke.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors." He started, "Today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

 _That's a nice name._ Theodore thought.

"Now, I'm sure many of you had heard rumors about the assignment of teams." Glynda continued, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

Theodore heard an uncomfortable 'what' from Ruby. He was on Jaune's left while Ruby was on Jaune's right, so sadly he couldn't assure her she was going to be fine.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon." Ozpin spoke, "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

Ruby gave out a groan of discomfort.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

 _Oh shoot._ Theodore thought _I hope I don't get paired with Weiss Schnee, the Ice Princess._

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"See, I told you." Nora said to Ren.

"After you've partnered up," Ozpin continued, "make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

"Well, that's comforting." Theodore said to himself sarcastically. Jaune chuckled nervously and then gulped out of fear.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation," Ozpin went on, "but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple with the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We'll regard that item, as well as your standing and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, um sir…" Jaune said while raising his hand.

"Good." Ozpin said not hearing Jaune, "Now, take your positions."

 _Positions?_ Theodore thought, _what does he mean by…oh shoot._ Looking down at where he was standing and seeing everyone take positions he figured out how they were getting down the cliff with a look of horror on his face. _These aren't memorial stones…They're launching pads! Is he crazy?! This cliff must be at least a 600-900 ft. drop!_

"Uh…sir?" Jaune said nervously "I've got a…a question."

One by one each student was being launched into the forest, Weiss being the first.

"So, this…landing strategy thing. Uh, wha…what is it? You're like…dropping us off or something."

"Jaune, are you really that dense?" Theodore asked quietly.

"No." Ozpin answered Jaune, "You will be falling."

 _Falling?!_ Theodore thought _That's what he says?! Catapulted is the better word!_ The next student was launched.

"Oh, I see." Jaune said "So, like…did you hand out parachutes for us?"

 _That would be nice._ Theodore hoped. Nora was then launched shouting for joy as if she were on a roller coaster. Only four more students and then Jaune would know exactly how this works.

"No." Ozpin answered, "You will be using your own land strategy."

"Uh-huh. Yeah." Jaune answered. The next student was then launched. Yang was then catapulted to the forest, shouting 'WOO-HOO', followed by Ruby who smirked in Jaune's and Theodore's direction, the look saying, 'I'm going to beat this initiation,' Before being launched.

"So, um, what exactly is a landing strateGYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Jaune finished the last part screaming as he was launched into the forest. It was now Theodore's turn.

"Here goes nothing." He said and shouted right as he was launched, "GERONIMOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

To say Theodore was scared would be an understatement. He was petrified. He was basically falling to his death just so that he can enter a school. Luckily, he had training for a situation like this. Reaching into the bottom pocket, inside the left of his coat, he grabbed a grappling gun. Aiming just right he pulled the trigger and let the hook fly. When it caught onto one of the trees he pulled the trigger again and started reeling himself in. Seeing he was close enough he let go of the trigger and it locked on to the rope where he had stopped. Letting himself swing until he came to a somewhat complete stop he saw he was about three feet off the ground.

"This is where I get off." He said to himself. Pulling hard on the rope he freed the hook from the branch and landed on his feet. Next thing he did was retract the cable into the gun and then placed it back in his pocket.

"Now to find my way to the temple," he said, "and hopefully find a teammate in the process." With that in mind, Theodore traversed his way through the forest. Fifty minutes through walking and trying to find the temple he heard a twig snap. Spinning around he saw what looked like a pack of five to six wolves, except they looked different. They looked more like were-wolves, had black fur, red eyes, wore what looked like a mask, and their legs looked like they had their bones protruding out of them.

"Man, are you an ugly piece of work." He said to them. One let out a roar and then immediately charged at him. Not wanting to waste any time, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his gun and started shooting. Five of the pack went down fast, but the last one was determined to get to Theodore. Sadly, that thing didn't get very far as it was shot right between the eyes. Blowing on his gun and twirling it like in an old western movie, Theodore placed his weapon back in his pocket. He was about to continue when he heard foot steps behind him. Slowly turning around, he saw what looked like a bear, but it had the same traits as the wolves. Bones protruding, mostly from its spine, black fur, red eyes, and a mask. The worst part was there were three of them and they were as big as grizzlies.

"I don't get a break, don't I?" he asked himself. The bears charged at him thinking he would be easy prey. They were wrong. Theodore reached into his top pocket and pulled out three grenades.

"One for each of you!" he shouted to them, while pulling the pins.

"Papa bear," he said while throwing a grenade to the first bear and making him explode.

"Mama bear," the second grenade hit its intended target and obliterated it.

"and baby bear!" The last on landed in the bear's mouth, taking off its head when it exploded.

Seeing that he got himself lost, Theodore decide to look around for directions until the smell of smoke caught his attention. Turning towards the smell he saw what looked like a forest fire.

"If there is a fire," he said to himself "maybe the one who started it is over there." With that idea in mind, Theodore set off towards the fire hoping to find the temple and a teammate.

 **AN: Hey everyone, Sentinel Prime here. Sorry for not submitting author notes in the last four chapters and for this chapter being so short. I new to FanFiction and I just getting used to how it works. Anyway, to Rebel725, xKaizer, ahnjoseph87, Avther, Neo Aegis, Toy2711, tsukyomi83, and ubb, thank you for taking an interest in my story. I will try to stay on top of updating them by a chapter each week. Again, thank you :). I don't own RWBY or DC Universe.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Up top on Beacon Cliff Professor Ozpin was using his scroll to see the progress of the soon to be students. Glynda walked up next to him with her own scroll.

"Our last pair has been formed sir." She said switching to a different channel on her scroll, "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy, I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos."

"Hmm." Ozpin replied.

"I don't care what his transcripts say, that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat." She said while turning her scroll off. "I guess we'll find out soon enough." She then turned and started walking away. "At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes." Glynda stopped mid step and turned around to ask Ozpin a question. "Speaking of which, what did you use for relics this year...Professor Ozpin."

Ozpin attention wasn't on the conversation or most of the students. His focus was on a single person, one boy named Theodore Constantine. When Ozpin first heard that name, he looked him up on the internet to see if there was any information. The only pieces of info he saw were that he has been Vale's crime fighter for over a year. He protected both humans and Faunus. The city's crime rates had significantly gone down thanks to his involvement. Even the police saw him as a hero and asked him for help on certain occasions. That, however, was not what Ozpin was thinking about.

 _What are you hiding?_

That was the question in the back of his mind. So far, he has seen Theodore shoot six beowolves and blow up three ursas with explosives. That is not what caught Ozpin's attention though. It was how Theodore got those weapons. He pulled them out of his coat as if they were in there the whole time. That was basically impossible, because the coat would have been bulky if it carried that many items. He would ask the young man about it later. Right now, he was heading in the direction of one of the teams that had been paired, so he switched his viewing to where they were.

* * *

Ruby sat on the ground playing with a leaf. Of all the people, she had to be paired with, it had to be Weiss Schnee. She had hoped she was either paired with Yang, Jaune, Blake, or Theodore. Sadly, that wasn't the case and both individuals were not happy. They had constantly been at each other's throats about who was better or where to go. Right now, they were lost but Weiss did not believe so and tried to figure out where to go. However, no one can figure out where they are going if they're walking in circles.

"It's definitely this way." She said before turning around the who knows how many times, "I mean, this way. It's definitely this way." She then stopped right in front of Ruby. "Alright, it's official. We passed it."

Ruby, having enough, dropped the leaf she was playing with and stood up.

"Why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we are going?" she asked.

"Because I know exactly where we are going." Weiss replied, "We're going…to…the Forest Temple."

Ruby let out a groan of annoyance.

"Oh, stop it!" Weiss exclaimed "You don't know where we are either."

"Well, at I don't pretend like I know everything." Ruby shot back.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!"

Weiss let out a groan of annoyance before turning around and started walking away.

"Just keep moving." She said.

"Ah, just keep moving. Hurry up. Waaahhh, watch where you're going." Ruby mocked before saying, "Why are you so bossy?!"

"I'm not bossy!" Weiss exclaimed turning around and walking back "Don't say things like that."

"Stop treating me like a kid!"

"Stop acting like a kid!"

"WOULD YOU TWO PLEASE BE QUIET?!" shouted a familiar voice. Both girls turned to see Theodore Constantine walking up to them with an annoyed expression on his face. "I could hear you a mile away! It's a wonder those things haven't found you yet!"

"You mean the Grimm?" Weiss asked.

"If they are black and look like they have masks on their faces, then yes the Grimm." Theodore answered.

"You've never heard of the Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"Not exactly, Ruby. I've never left the city, so I wouldn't know."

"Shows how little you know." Weiss spoke up, "How can you possibly hope to- "

"BE QUIET!" Theodore shouted to Weiss making her and Ruby flinch from surprise. He then took a few breaths to calm himself. "You are really testing my patience. This makes you number two on my list of 'People who Annoy Me.'"

"Who's number one?" Ruby asked.

"My dad."

"Well, Mr. Con-stan-tine, do you know where we are supposed to go?" Weiss asked in a 'know it all' tone.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Theodore stated, "Follow me."

He then started walking towards some rocks that stacked up to make a small hill. Ruby followed close behind while Weiss lagged. Climbing up to the top, they saw what looked like an old building that decayed over time.

"The temple!" Ruby shouted for joy, "You found it, Theodore! You found it!"

"How did you know?" Weiss asked. She wouldn't admit it to them, but she was equally surprised that he knew where it was.

"I climbed some trees while I was looking for a path." He answered, "I saw in the distance and walked in a straight path which lead me to you two. Walking will take about twenty minutes to get there but- "He was interrupted when Ruby hugged while thanking him countless times.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she kept saying over and over until Theodore was able to gently pry her off.

"You're welcome." He said with a smile, "You two go on ahead. I'll make sure no Grimm followed us."

Both girls made their way down the hill carefully while Theodore stayed behind for a moment to check if any Grimm were in the area. Seeing there was nothing he decided to join them in their climb down the hill.

"We'll get to the temple without any trouble." He said to himself. Sadly, that wouldn't be the case. From above came a very loud sound that sound like a bird, except bigger and scarier. Looking up he saw what looked like a giant raven with a mask flying towards him.

 _I just had to say something._ He thought.

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone. Already have a new story planned. It's going to be another crossover but this time in the Marvel Universe and Kenichi The Mightiest Disciple. Until next time, Sentinel Prime out.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Ruby!" shouted Weiss as she held on for dear life, "I told you this was a terrible idea!"

"It's fine!" Ruby shouted, "Stop worrying!" The two were the back of a Nevermore. Not just any Nevermore though. This one had, in his talons, one Theodore Constantine who was struggling to get out of its grip. Ruby had the idea to jump on the Nevermore, climb to where Theodore is and pry him out of the things talons. Sadly, they couldn't go anywhere with all the wind in their face and the fear of falling.

"I am so far beyond worrying!"

"In a good way?"

"In a bad way! In a very bad way!"

"Well, why don't we just jump?"

"What are you? Insane?" Weiss never got an answer. Wondering why, she looked to her left and saw no Ruby. The girl had literally jumped off the Nevermore.

"Oh, you insufferable little red- "

"CAN YOU PLEASE SAVE THE COMPLAINING FOR LATER AND HELP ME?!" Theodore shouted for fear that the Nevermore would decide to drop him at any minute or land at its intended destination and eat him for lunch.

Blake and Yang had arrived at the temple earlier and found chess pieces at the temple. These must have been the relics, because some of them were missing. Some the students must have gotten there first and taken the pieces they chose. Looking around they chose a white knight to which Yang called it a 'cute little pony.' Just as they were about to head back they heard what sounded like a girl scream (It was Jaune).

"Blake, did you hear that?" Yang asked, "What should we do?" Blake's attention wasn't on the scream, however, but on the sky or precisely what was falling from the sky. Looking at Yang, she pointed up for her to focus her attention upwards. Looking up, Yang saw her sister falling straight towards them.

"Heads up!" Ruby shouted while falling. Thankfully, her plummet was canceled with the help of Jaune who crashed into her and both fell into a tree. Both were unharmed, but Ruby was dizzy and Jaune was hanging upside down on one of the branches. Ruby shook the dizziness out of her head and looked around realizing she was in a tree. Trying to figure out how she got up it, her attention was turned somewhere else when she heard a 'ahem' and looked to see Jaune hanging from a branch like a monkey.

"Hey Ruby." He said.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked.

"I- "Yang didn't get to answer as they heard what sounded like an ursa. Looking towards the woods, it was an ursa, but it looked like it was dazed. Behind it came a shot and someone shouting "YEHAW!" The ursa fell revealing Nora riding it using her weapon, which was a grenade launcher, as a whip. When it fell, she rolled off it with a sad look.

"Aww, it's broken." She said. Ren followed close behind, out of breath from running. Finally catching up, he placed a hand on the dead ursa to stabilize himself so that he could catch his breath.

"Nora, please." He said while gasping for air, "Don't ever do that again."

Looking around, he saw that Nora was gone. She had dashed to the old temple to look around. She eyed a white rook before grabbing it and holding up like it was a trophy.

"I'm queen of the castle." She sang while placing the rook on her head like a crown, "I'm queen of the castle."

"NORA!" Ren shouted.

"Hehehe, coming Ren." She answered while saluting and placing the rook in her hand. She then walked off to him.

"Did that girl just ride in on an ursa?" Blake asked.

"I- "Yang, once again, didn't get to answer as they heard a screech from the woods. Looking in that direction they saw Pyrrha getting chased by a deathstalker. She dodged each of its pincers while maintaining her speed. Looking around she saw her partner in the trees.

"JAUNE!" She shouted.

"Pyrrha." Jaune said while trying to get out of branches. Ruby got up letting out a 'Woah' and jumped down from the tree. Jaune called her name hoping for help but it was in vain. Ruby did a roll and stood up.

"Ruby?" asked Yang.

"Yang!" replied Ruby going to give her sister a hug, but an individual got caught in the excitement and decided to get between the two and shout her name as well.

"NORA!" she shouted. The focus of the girls was once again on the deathstalker chasing her.

"Did she run all the way here with a deathstalker on her tail?" Blake asked.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Yang shouted, her aura flaring, eyes red, and flames dancing around her, "COULD EVERYONE JUST CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN?!"

Everyone calmed down after Yang's outburst, except Nora who laughed gleefully when Ren hobbled over to join them. Ruby and Blake were looking up in the sky at something.

"Um…Yang." Ruby said to her sister while pointing up. Weiss was no longer on top of the nevermore but she was holding on for dear life to Theodore's free hand. Both wanted to get away from the Grimm but not at the cost of their lives.

"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" Weiss shouted to Ruby.

"RELAX ICE PRINCESS!" Theodore shouted, "AT LEAST WE'RE NOT FALLING TO OUR DEATHS!" He would soon come to regret saying that because the grip on the nevermore's talon began to loosen. "OH, COME ON! THERE'S NO WAY MY LUCK IS THIS BAD!"

"I said jump." Ruby replied.

"Their gonna fall." Blake said.

"They'll be fine."

"They're falling." Ren said.

Falling they were, with Weiss holding onto Theodore for dear life. Seeing how close they were to the trees, Theodore pulled out his grappling gun and fired toward one of them. When the hook latched onto one he immediately activated the reeling mechanism and both he and Weiss were being pulled to safety. Sadly, however, there was a problem in the way.

"JAUNE!" Theodore shouted, "HEADS UP!" The warning was a little too late for the blonde. Just as he saw who had warned him, all three-people collided into each other, simultaneously, falling out of the tree. Theodore landed on his face, while Weiss landed on Jaune's back. Weiss stood up while dusting her dress from any dirt, followed by Jaune who bent backwards to make sure he hadn't broken anything. Theodore got up last making sure his grappling gun wasn't broken. Seeing that it wasn't, he placed it back in his coat pocket. Out of nowhere, Pyrrha collide into Jaune after taking a hit from the deathstalker that was chasing her.

"Great the gang's all here." Yang said sarcastically, "Now we can die together."

"Not if I can help it." Ruby said before charging after the deathstalker with her weapon ready.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang shouted. Sadly, her plea landed on deaf ears. Ruby charged forward with a battle cry ready to cut the deathstalker to pieces. The deathstalker had other plans, though, using its right pincer to swat Ruby away.

"Don't…don't worry." Ruby said while getting up, "Totally fine." Her assurance, however, was not backed up when she heard something coming up from behind her. Turning around she saw the deathstalker walking up to her with killing intent. Out of instinct, she shot the Grimm in the face and turned the other way, running. Morphing her weapon in a comfortable form and placing it on her belt, she ran as fast as she could to her sister. Yang, seeing her sister running back, started running to her as well. Ruby, sadly, had another problem on her hands. The nevermore was following her in the sky. It then rained a barrage of feathers down at the poor girl, one of them snagging her cape, and the rest nearly piercing her sister who was some feet away from her.

"Ruby, get out of there!" Yang shouted while getting up off the ground.

"I'm trying!" Ruby shouted while tugging on her cape, trying to pry it lose. Hearing a hiss, Ruby looked up to see the deathstalker right in front of her with its stinger in the air. Fear gripped the girl as it came down at her. She closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted out of pure shock and fear, seeing her sister at death's door. Hearing footsteps, she saw Theodore pass her, with his sword in hand, and swat the stinger away, just before it could hit Ruby. The deathstalker took a few steps back which gave Theodore time to pull a grenade from his left pocked, using his mouth to pull out the firing pin and thumb to start the countdown.

"HEY, SCOPINOCK! PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!" Theodore shouted after he spit out the firing pin. Throwing the grenade, it exploded right in the deathstalkers face dazing it. Turning around he saw the feather that stuck Ruby's coat into the ground. Ruby was looking at him with a surprised face.

"Cover your head and duck." He told her. Obeying Theodore, Ruby placed her hands on her head and ducked as low as she could. Hearing a slashing sound, followed by something falling and being pulled out she looked to see that the feather was cut and her cape was free.

"Run!" Theodore exclaimed as the deathstalker regained its senses. Ruby didn't have to be told twice and took off with Theodore following close behind. The Grimm gave chase and was slowly gaining on them. See the dilemma, Theodore decided to slow it down a bit more. Reaching into his left pants pocket, he pulled out a land mine. Activating it, he threw behind him and heard the boom when the deathstalker had foolishly stepped on it. Yang ran straight to Ruby and hugged her with a smile on her face.

"I'm so happy you're okay." Yang said to her sister after letting her go. Looking to Theodore, who was checking on the Grimm, she walked up to him. Tapping his shoulder to get his attention, he turned around to look at her.

"Thank you, for saving my sister." Yang said.

"You're welcome." Theodore replied. Their talk was interrupted, however, when a screech was heard from above. Looking up, everybody saw the nevermore flying in the sky.

"Guys, that thing is circling back." Jaune said while pointing to the nevermore, "What are we going to do?"

"Look," Weiss said "there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right." Ruby said, "Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fight these things."

"Run and live." Jaune summarized, "That is an idea I can get behind."

Walking to the temple, Ruby and Jaune picked their pieces. Jaune grabbed a white knight and Jaune grabbed a white rook. Theodore walked up to pick a piece after they were done. Everyone, including Weiss, expected him to pick one of the pieces with great importance, like a queen, king, or black knight. They were surprised, however, when he chose a white pawn piece instead. They didn't have time to ask him when they heard a roar. Looking back, they saw the deathstalker had regained its senses once again.

"Time, we left." Ren said.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Theodore said while placing the pawn in his right pants pocket.

"Right. Let's go." Ruby said and ran ahead to the cliffs with everyone else following her. Yang hadn't followed immediately. She was watching her sister lead everyone with a proud smile on her face. Blake stopped right beside her, thinking that something was wrong.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing." She replied with the smile still on her face. She then ran to catch up to everyone with Blake right behind her. Soon everyone could see the cliffs half a mile away. They were home free, or so they thought. The nevermore had followed them all the way to their exit and was blocking it. They hid behind the pillars to avoid being seen by it.

"Well that's great." Yang said sarcastically. A noise caught everyone by surprise. Turning around they saw the deathstalker charging out of the woods.

"Aw man, run!" Jaune shouted running towards the cliffs with Pyrrha following him. Everyone did the same, seeing no other option but to fight their way through. Seeing the students running towards it, the nevermore took flight at them.

"Nora, distract it." Ren told Nora who listened. The nevermore, seeing the pink skirt girl alone, focused its attack on her by sending a barrage of feathers at her. To its disappointment, not one hit its mark and the Grimm was reward with a pink grenade in the face. She chased the Grimm away only to almost be pierced by the deathstalker if Blake and Ren hadn't intervened. While those two distracted it, Weiss used her glyphs to get Nora to safety.

Jaune and Pyrrha were crossing the bridge with Blake and Ren following them, as well as the deathstalker. Fearing that the Grimm would cross the bridge with them, Pyrrha turned her weapon into a rifle, and took aim at the deathstalker.

"Go, go!" she shouted to Jaune and started shooting. Doing a roll, Ren followed suit and started shooting at the deathstalker with his weapons which were mini machine-guns. Seeing the Grimm was getting too close, they fled from it thankful that it was too big to cross the bridge. Their relief, however, was short lived as the nevermore came flying back towards them. Using its head as a battering ram, the nevermore broke the bridge separating the students. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Theodore, Nora, and Jaune were closet to the cliff while Pyrrha, Ren, and Blake were stuck on the other side fighting the deathstalker.

"Man, we gotta get over there." Jaune said, "They need help."

"Let's do this." Nora said, her grenade launcher at the ready.

"Yeah, but uh," Jaune replied while looking at the broken path, "I can't make that jump."

Nora gave Jaune a smirk and accidentally hit him when she transformed her grenade launcher into a hammer. Running a bit forward and then jumping into the air, she turned around looking like she was ready to hit something. Jaune looked up just in time to figure out what Nora was going to do.

"Oh, wait!" he pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears as Nora hit the piece of the bridge they were on and catapulted him to the other side. While flying he was shouting "NO, NO, NO, NO!" Nora then stood on her hammer and with the grenade launcher mechanism still functional, flew over with a smile on her face. As she made it to the other side, along with Jaune, she brought the hammer down on the deathstalker's head causing it to screech in pain and attack her with its stinger. Seeing the danger, Nora blasted herself away just in time, but accidentally bumped into Blake knocking her off the bridge.

Blake threw her weapon, with a rope attached to it, into one of the pillars and swung between two others. Seeing her chance when the nevermore flew by, attacked it by slashing at its face and slashing its back while running on it. She got off it by jumping and landing on a structure.

 _Did she just teleport to it?_ Theodore thought to himself. He recorded the whole thing with his scroll but decided to look at it later. Putting it away, he joined Ruby, Yang, and Weiss near the edge of the structure on a rotted stairway, watching the nevermore fly by to turn back to them. Blake joined them shortly after.

"It's tougher than it looks." She informed them.

"Then let's hit it with everything we got." Yang said cocking her gauntlets on her hands. Seeing that the girls were using long ranged weapons, Theodore decided to do the same by pulling his gun out of his trench coat and taking aim with his left hand. It looked like a futuristic shotgun, with a silver color to it. The handle was glowing red, which indicated that was the power source.

"Eat laser, you over grown pigeon." He said and started shooting at the same time the girls started. Some of the shots hit their target while most of them missed. The ones that did hit had no affect at all. Unfazed, the nevermore crashed below the structure where they were standing, causing it to collapse the girls got themselves to safety while Theodore was flung near the cliffs. His back impacted the cliff before he landed on his buttocks below the it.

 _This Grimm is really getting on my nerves._ He thought. He put his gun away and was going to use his grappler when he saw Yang do something daring. She jumped to where the nevermore could catch her in its beak and swallow her whole. That wasn't the case though as Yang held the beak open with her legs and left arm.

"I-HOPE-YOU'RE-HUN-GRY!" she shouted while firing a shot into its mouth with each word. Seeing the cliff coming up from behind, she jumped off the nevermore right before it crashed into it. Seeing that the Grimm was going to land gracefully, right next to him, Theodore ran towards it with his sword in hand.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING A NICE LANDING!" he shouted right as he slashed at both its legs, cutting them clean off, causing the nevermore to land on its face.

"Revenge, is a dish best served sharp." He said to the bird. The nevermore tried to fly away, but couldn't when its tail was caught in a pillar of ice. Seeing this, Theodore looked for the source and saw Weiss jump back to her teammates. Continuing to watch, he saw Blake and Yang make what looked like a slingshot. Ruby then catapulted herself onto the rope while Weiss held her in place.

 _Oh no, they're not going to do it. Are they?_ He thought to himself. To his astonishment, Ruby was let loose, flying straight to the nevermore, catching its neck by her weapons blade. She then proceeded to run up the cliff, dragging the nevermore with her. Right as she reached the top, she decapitated the Grimm and landed gracefully. Theodore looked on, ignoring the body that fell past him with a surprised look on his face.

"I would hate to get on her bad side." He said to himself.

* * *

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Delft Bronzewing, Sky Lark." Ozpin said to the four individuals on stage, "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester."

Everyone clapped hearing the announcement. The four individuals stepped off stage and the next four stepped up.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."

Nora hugged Ren excitedly after hearing the news. Jaune was surprised hearing that he would lead the team.

"Huh? Led by…?" he asked gesturing to himself.  
"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin added. Pyrrha gave Jaune a friendly punch in the shoulder as saying congrats. Doing so, she accidentally caused him to fall making everyone in the auditorium laugh.

"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long." Ozpin said gesturing to the four girls as they walked up to the stage. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang exclaimed while hugging her surprised sister. Theodore had a smile on his face while watching from the sides. He could tell from the start that Ruby had the makings of a great leader.

 _You made the right choice Ozpin._ He thought.

"Looks like things are shaping up to be an…interesting year." Ozpin added. The last part he said while looking at Theodore. The boy looked back at him knowing the headmaster had some questions. He nodded, the gesture saying, 'I'll be happy to answer them anytime, anywhere.'

* * *

In a warehouse, somewhere in Vale, Roman Torchwick was on the phone talking to someone. He slammed it on the table after the call ended, obviously disturbed by the news. Groaning in annoyance he lit his cigar hoping to take his mind off the robbery failure he heard about.

 _How could this have happened?_ He thought to himself, _I was criminal number one in all of Remnant. The police had to camp everywhere, dust prices came through the roof, and we had more dust than we could handle. Until Theodore What's-his-Name came and decided to play as Vale's hometown hero. Now, a whole year has gone by and I've gone down in the world._

Roman was chased from his thoughts when he heard something being rolled into the room. Looking to his right, he saw a member of the White Fang roll a cart with metal crate on it. Doing a trick with some lien in his hand, he placed on the table for the member to take it.

"Open it." Torchwick said. The White Fang member took a crow bar and pried the crate open. Inside were three stacks of dust crystals sorted out by color, orange, blue, white, red, green, light blue, and light orange with some yellow in the mix. Picking up one, Torchwick looked at it, admiring the fact that this robbery was successful but he knew this would not last. Theodore would catch on and stop his next robbery again in a heartbeat.

"We're gonna need more men."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Weiss woke up with a smile on her face. She had been accepted into Beacon and was officially a student. Sitting up on her bed she stretched her arms and let out a yawn. She was still a bit tired after yesterday and thought about sleeping a bit more but someone else had other plans. Weiss didn't notice Ruby sneaking up next to her until it was too late. With a breath, Ruby blew into a whistle in her right hand, surprising Weiss and causing her to fall off the bed.

"Good morning Team Ruby!" Ruby shouted with a smile. She was wearing Beacon's school uniform. A dark brown, gold trimmed button down complete with a checkered skirt. To the uniform, she attached her hood and cape to it.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" Weiss asked from the floor.

"Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business."

"Excuse me?" Weiss said while getting up from the floor and dusting herself off.

"Decorating!" Yang exclaimed while holding various items. She and Blake were wearing their uniforms as well.

"What?!"

"We still have to unpack." Blake said while holding up her suitcase. It must've not been properly sealed because it opened spilling out all its contents. "And clean."

Weiss gave them both a questionable that said 'Are you serious?' That looked vanished when Ruby blew her whistle at Weiss making her fall to the floor again.

"All right!" Ruby exclaimed "Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission. BANZAI!" She shouted that last part while raising her fist in the air.

"BANZAI!" Yang and Blake joined in raising their fists as well. All four girls decorated the room in their own way. Yang hung a poster on the wall of her favorite band, The Achieve. Weiss hung up a portrait of a forest (she is now dressed in her school uniform). Blake sorted out her books on a shelf but made sure her teammates didn't see one of her novels, Ninjas of Love. Ruby hung a curtain at the window using the butt end of Crescent Rose. When she turned around, however, she accidentally cut it in a diagonal line. After sewing the curtain back together, Team RWBY stood together in front of the door to admire their work. The layout would be great if the beds weren't occupying the center of the room stacked on top one another.

"This isn't going to work." Weiss said.

"It is a bit crammed." Blake agreed.

"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff." Yang suggested.

"Or we could ditch the beds…" Ruby started and then gasped from inspiration "And replace them with bunk beds!"

"Um…that sounds incredibly dangerous." Weiss stated.

"And super awesome!" Yang chimed.

"It does seem efficient." Blake added.

"Well, we should put it to a vote." Weiss suggested.

"I think we just did." Ruby implied. It was true, Blake, Yang, and Ruby all agreed to bunk beds while Weiss was the only one who didn't. Getting to work, the girls made the bunk beds in a matter of minutes.

"Objective complete." Ruby stated, all four girls checking out their work. Weiss' bed was still on the bottom while Ruby's was suspended in mid-air with ropes tied to it. Yang's bed was stacked on top of Blake's with books being the support.

"All right, our second order of business is…classes." Ruby said, sitting on her bed with a notebook on her lap and pencil in her hand. "Now, we have a few classes together today. At nine we gotta be- "

"What?!" Weiss interrupted "Did you say nine o'clock?!"

"Ummmm…"

"It's 8:55 you dunce!" With that said, Weiss dashed out of the room immediately to their class. Ruby, Yang, and Blake all poked their heads out of the dorm watching Weiss run. As they were watching, the realization finally kicked in.

"Umm…t-t-t-to class!" Ruby stated, chasing after Weiss with Yang and Blake following close behind. The door from across the room, which belonged to Team JNPR, was opened and all for teammates watched the whole thing.

"Class?" Jaune asked. All four were leaning out of the room so much that they lost balance and fell. Once they made contact with the floor the realization kicked in for them as well.

"We're gonna be late!" Jaune stated, getting up and running after them, his team following close behind. All eight kids ran to the building where their first class would be. They made it with two minutes to spare.

"Oh, hey guys. What took you so long?" a voice said. Turning towards the source they saw Theodore in the school uniform in the first row on the left of the classroom. He was reading a book that was labeled _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_. Seeing that he was alone, Ruby immediately took a seat next to him.

"Hey, Theodore." She said, "What are you reading?"

"It's about a detective, named Sherlock Holmes, who solves mysteries." He said. Looking to his right, Theodore saw that it wasn't only Ruby who was sitting next to him. Weiss, Yang, and Blake had joined in. Blake was looking at his book with interest.

"When you are done," she said, "would be okay if I read it?"

"Of course." He answered with a smile. Footsteps were then heard from the right side of the room. Looking that way, they saw a man that looked to be in his early fifties to late sixties enter the room. He was 5'8" ft., wore a red long sleeved shirt with gold buttons with dark brown pants. He had a well combed mustache on his face and bushy eyebrows. Walking to the center of the room, he turned to face the class.

"Good morning everyone." He said, "My name is Professor Peter Port. Welcome to my class. Let's begin."

* * *

"Monsters. Demons. Prowlers of the Night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey. Hahaha!"

No one seemed to get what he just said. His laughing, however, woke Ruby up from her dozing. Weiss was taking notes, Blake, Yang and Theodore were paying attention to him. Seeing that no one got what he just said he continued.

"And you shall too upon graduating from this academy. Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love to do nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in. Huntsman. Huntresses." Pointing to Yang he clicked his tongue with a smirk on his face. Yang gave an uncomfortable chuckle from that gesture which didn't go unnoticed. Theodore looked at Professor Port with a disapproving glare. The old man must've seen the glare because he cleared his throat with a nervous look on his face and continued talking.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why, the very world!" Someone the classroom shouted in agreement with Professor Port which caused everyone to look at him. Seeing he was the only one, he sat back down.

 _Bad timing pal._ Theodore thought to himself.

"That is what you are training to become." Port continued, "But first, a story."

"Oh no." Theodore grumbled to himself, covering his head with his hands.

"A tale of a young, handsome man. Me."

Hoping the story wouldn't last for the whole class, Theodore decide to take notes on the important parts. Turning to see how his friends were doing, saw Ruby writing on a piece of paper. Believing she was taking notes, he went back to his until he heard her laughing. Curious, he turned to see Ruby showing a picture to the other girls. Yang was trying to contain her laughter while Weiss was giving Ruby a disapproving look. Professor Port let out a 'Ahem' to get their attention and continued on with his story. Tapping Ruby's shoulder to get her attention, he gave her a questionable look that said, 'What's so funny?' Ruby showed him the picture, while trying to contain her laughter. It was a picture of Professor Port with what looked like odor coming from his body. There was writing that said _Ruby Rose Prof. Port Grimm Studies Day 1 Professor Poop._

 _That's not nice Ruby._ Theodore thought while shaking his head at her. This caused Ruby to have a sad look on her face. Seeing this, Theodore felt bad for hurting her feelings and came up with an idea. Taking her picture, he folded it into a square and showed it to Ruby. She had a questionable look on her face which quickly turned to surprise when he placed it on the desk. Instead of a square sheet of paper, it was somehow folded into a flower. She looked from both the flower and Theodore with a look on her face that screamed, 'How did you do that?!'

"I'll show you more later." He whispered getting a nod from her and both immediately went back to paying attention to Professor Port.

"In the end, the beowulf was no match for my sheer tenacity and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero." He took a bow after finishing his story.

 _Thank goodness, it's over._ Theodore thought.

"The moral of the story, a true huntsman must honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well educated, and wise. So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I do, sir!" Weiss shouted while raising her hand.

"Ah, Miss Schnee and Mr. Constantine." Professor Port announced. "Let's find out."

Turning with a look of surprise, Weiss saw Theodore with both of his hands up and a surprised look on his face. Theodore had made the mistake to stretch his arms right after Port asked the question. Two cages were then brought into the classroom with growling coming from inside.

"Step forward," Port said while gesturing to the cages "and face your opponents."

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone. Just wanted to inform you that I won't be posting chapters for a while. I'm doing a few Summer classes but I will try to work on my new story, Wolverine Re-clawed. Until next time, Sentinel Prime out.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Weiss had gotten dressed in her battle cloths and readied her rapier to face the Grimm locked in the cage in front of her. On her right was Theodore in his attire with his sword in hand. He gave it a few twirls in his left and then placed his right on the hilt right below his left. Weiss gave him a stern look which said, 'Don't get in my way!' Theodore gave her a look that replied, 'Vent your anger on your opponent. Not me.' Both then faced the cages that held their true opponents and waited for them to be opened.

"Go Weiss! Go Theodore!" Yang shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

"Fight well!" Blake shouted while waving a flag with RWBY's logo on it.

"Yeah, represent team RWBY!" Ruby shouted with waving her arms in the air. Theodore replied by waving his right hand in the air and then returning his gaze to the cage in front of him. Weiss, however, gave a different reply.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" she shouted.

"Oh, sorry." Ruby replied with a sad look on her face. Theodore had an angry look on his face at Weiss for yelling at Ruby like that. He decided to confront her on the subject after the fight.

"Alright!" Port shouted getting everyone's attention. Raising his weapon, which looked like an old gun, like what Gaston used in Beauty and the Beast, except in had ax blades on the handle. "Let the match begin!" With that said, he brought his weapon down on the locks that were holding the doors in place. When the doors fell open it revealed two Grimm that looked like wild boars. They were black with four eyes and as usual had white armor on sections on their body. Its tucks were so long they looked like one its eyes would get poked out.

"You're uglier than the Ursas." He said to them. Both boars charged at the students hoping to land a hit. Both students dodged their assailants and delivered a blow to the Grimm heads with their swords. Sadly, when the Grim stopped to look at them, Weiss and Theodore saw they hadn't done any damage to them.

"Ha, ha! Wasn't expecting that were you?" Port asked.

"Not really." Theodore replied while holding his sword in a defensive manner.

"Hang in there Theodore!" Ruby shouted.

"Thanks for the encouragement! I needed it!" he shouted back with a smile. He then turned back to the Grimm that was charging at him. Stabbing his sword into the arena, he added his weight to the weapon so that it acted as a shield. When the Grimm charged at him it hit his sword as expected, but was disoriented from hitting the weapon. Seeing that the enemy was dizzy he found it as a perfect chance to attack. Pulling his sword out of the arena, he charged at the Grimm and stabbed it in its exposed back. The beast cried out in pain and then went limp.

"Outstanding Mr. Constantine!" Port shouted with approval.

Standing up he was about to put away his weapon when he saw the dilemma Weiss was in. She had her weapon stuck in the Grimm's tusks and was having trouble prying it free.

"Bold approach! I like it!" Port shouted to Weiss as she struggled.

"Come on, Weiss!" Ruby shouted, "Show it who's boss!"

Sadly, Weiss did not get the upper hand. Her weapon was wretched from her grasp and thrown to the other side of the classroom. The Grimm hit Weiss away from it causing her to roll away from it.

"Oh, ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port asked.

The heiress regained her footing in time to see the Grimm charge at her. It was about to hit Weiss when she was pushed out of the way. Looking in the direction she was pushed from she saw Theodore take the hit and flown across the arena, colliding into a desk in the process.

"Theodore!" Ruby, Blake, and Yang shouted out of worry. Looking around to see why he had not attacked back, Weiss saw his weapon 5 ft. away from her.

 _What is that fool doing?!_ She thought to herself _He's defenseless! He's going to get himself killed!_

 _I'm going to feel that one in the morning._ Theodore thought to himself as he sat up and held his injured right shoulder with his left hand. He didn't have time to stand up, however, when the Grimm charged at him to finish the job. Theodore laid flat on his back, with only his head raised, and stopped the its charge by placing his feet on its tusks. As the Grimm tried to continue its charge, the boy made sure to keep pushing so that it couldn't.

"Weiss! You've got to help Theodore! Please!" Ruby shouted as the heiress grabbed her weapon.

"STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Weiss shouted back at Ruby with a scowl on her face. This caused Ruby's face to have another sad look. While keeping the Grimm at bay, Theodore had seen and heard the whole thing and he was mad. Ruby was giving Weiss good advice and the Ice Princess kept pushing her away. His thoughts were brought back to the Grimm as it pushed him into the desk.

"GET OFF ME!" he shouted to the Grimm as he kicked it away 3ft. making it land on its back. This gave Weiss an opening to stab it, which she did, ending the fight.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Port said, "It appears we are, indeed, in the presence of a true huntsman and huntress in training. I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

Seeing that class was over, Theodore got up and went to retrieve his weapon. As he stooped down to grab it, he heard a voice that he didn't want to hear now.

"What is wrong with you?!" Weiss said as she stood right behind him. Theodore stood up with his sword in his left hand. Turning around Weiss saw his hand an angry look on his face.

"Funny. I was about to ask you the same question." He replied.

"Excuse me?!"

"What has Ruby done that has earned your contempt for her?"

"The fact that she was made leader instead of me?! Ozpin, obviously, made a mistake."

"I doubt that. From what I can tell, Ozpin is a very wise man. I don't think he would make the wrong choice. But enough about that problem. You asked what was wrong with me. I would like to know what exactly."

"Why are you so…so…reckless?!"

"You mean the fact that I pushed you out of harm's way?"

"I would have been fine!"

"Maybe, but I wasn't planning to wait and find out."

Unknown to both students, they were drawing attention from the whole class. Even Professor Port was surprised and curious as to what was going on. Ruby, Blake, and Yang were getting worried for both Theodore and Weiss as the argument was going on. They were worried for Theodore because of how Weiss was lecturing him for saving her life and favoring Ruby over her. They were also worried for Weiss because every time she said something harsh, Theodore looked to be getting angrier each time. They also noticed that his left hand was clutching the hilt of his sword harder after every word.

"Where did you get that trait?!" Weiss asked, "From your father or mother?! Were your parents both officers in the force, or was your mother a coward while- "

She didn't get to finish that last statement as Theodore's sword missed her an inch of her right ear, planting itself in the ground. She had nothing but pure shock on her face. Seeing that the sword had missed she looked back at Theodore only to see rage etched all over his face.

"Don't…you…ever…call my mother a coward." He growled at her, "My mother took a bullet that was meant for me. She died…protecting…ME!"

While speaking, Theodore had started to walk towards Weiss, making her take steps to back away from him. She kept backing up until her back met the wall and Theodore stopped within two inches from her face.

"You judge people before you even get to know them and it's really starting to tick me off! Until you can learn to accept that they are different from you, JUST SHUT UP AND DEAL WITH IT!"

"MR. CONSTANTINE!" Professor Port shouted, "Please step away from Miss Schnee!"

Theodore did as Port asked while keeping eye contact with Weiss. Once he was five feet away from her, her turned and started walking out of the classroom.

"Where are you going young man?" Port asked.

"To blow off some steam." Theodore answered back while continuing to leave. The members of team JNPR and other members of team RWBY had surprised look on their faces. Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Yang had all seen Theodore mad before but never extremely angry. Even the always smiling Nora had a look fear on her face.

"I'd hate to talk to Theodore about a personal matter on a bad day." Jaune remarked. Ruby decided to go find Theodore and see if she could find a way to cheer him up.

* * *

Looking everywhere Ruby found Theodore outside, at the pavilion, swinging his sword around with only his left hand. His right arm was in a sling to make sure he didn't injure himself anymore. Ruby slowly made her way to him while avoiding being caught in the way of one of his swings.

"Theodore?" she said to get his attention. It worked because he stopped mid-swing with his back turned to her. He slowly lowered his sword and turned around to face her. He no longer had the angry look on his face but another showed. It was a look of regret.

"Oh, hey Ruby." He replied.

"You okay?"

"Physically, I'll survive. Emotionally, I feel like I got run over by a thousand mustangs."

"How come?"

"I feel really bad about yelling at Weiss that way. It was wrong of me to raise my voice like that."

"She did insult your mother though."

"It was still wrong of me."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that, Mr. Constantine." Said a new voice. Turning to the source, Ruby and Theodore saw Professor Ozpin walking to them with his can in his right hand and a coffee cup in his left.

"Hey, Mr. Ozpin." Theodore said with waving his sword in the air "Came to see me about what happened in the classroom?"

"Indeed. I was planning on giving you a lecture, but I see there is no need. Instead, I would like to have you tell Ruby something."

"What would that be, sir?"

"Why you chose the white pawn."

* * *

Professor Port was on a balcony, enjoying the view from Beacon, seeing all of Vale. He was reflecting on the conversation he and the other teachers, including headmaster Ozpin had with Theodore after the ceremony of completing the initiation. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a voice behind him.

"Professor Port." It said. Turning around, he saw who it was.

"Ah, Miss Schnee," He replied, "and to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

"I…I enjoyed your lecture."

"Of course, you did child. You have the blood of a true huntress in you."

"You really think so?"

"Most surely. You and Mr. Constantine." Saying that last part caused Weiss to look downcast. "Hm. Something's troubling you."

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Dear girl. Confess to me your strife."

"Well, I…I just wanted to ask how you could be so calm after what Theodore displayed in the classroom."

There was a small silence after that confession that lasted for about five to ten seconds. Port then finally spoke up after that.

"I stayed calm because I could tell that Theodore had every right to be angry with you."

"Excuse me?!"

"Insulting his parents, calling his mother a coward no less, was a very low thing to do."

"So, you would immediately take his side after seeing how he cornered me into a wall?!"

"I wouldn't say I would take his side, but I would agree with how you needed a lecture on how you see other people and on your poor attitude."

"How dare you!"

"My point exactly. I see a girl before me who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted."

"That's not even remotely true." Weiss said looking away. Port just cocked his left eyebrow, not believing what she said. "Well, not entirely true."

"When I look at Theodore, I see a boy who has had to fight his way through many troubles, one of them being his mother's death."

"That doesn't explain why he is so reckless."

"You call saving lives reckless?"

"Not the saving lives part. Nearly getting himself killed."

"Tell me, Miss Schnee. When he was doing his initiation, did you notice what piece he chose at the temple?" This caused Weiss to have a surprised look on her face.

"Yes," she replied, "he chose the white pawn. Why would he choose a piece which is easily disposed of at the beginning of a game?"

"I was hoping you would ask."

* * *

"Why did you choose the white pawn Theodore?" Ruby asked, "Those pieces are the least important in a game of chess. They are the ones who go down first."

"That depends on how you look at them Ruby." Theodore replied. He planted his sword in the ground and leaned against for support. "Where I come from, most people in power don't have the needs of citizens in mind. Instead, they take advantage of their weakness so that they could use them to their own advantage. Take the Schnee Dust Company for example. They under pay and overwork Faunus just so that they can make easy money with their special abilities that no human could do. They also ruin other companies so that they can get rid of the competition, not caring about the people they hurt or the lives they ruin. Basically, they take weaker things with value and use them as pawns."

* * *

"He used my father's company as an example?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Yes, and a very fine example at that." Port said.

"Well, that may be true…but it still doesn't explain why he chose that piece."

"I was just getting to that."

* * *

"Then there are the gifted." Theodore said.

"Gifted?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. People with exceptional skills, like how fast you are for example. The ones in power usually try to exploit those people so that they will have no choice but to come and work for them. What they don't count on, however, is something else they have."

"What's that?"

"A good heart. Not as in keeping your blood pumping, but in who they are. You wish to help people, like what you said to Blake in the auditorium that night. You, Yang, Blake and Weiss, even team JNPR, have good hearts and the people of Vale's needs in mind."

"How does Weiss have a good heart?"

"The Ice Princess may have an attitude problem," that statement cause Ruby to laugh, "but she is a good person on the inside. It's people like you and her that fight back against those other people and help those in need."

"Kind of like how you've been helping the people of Vale?"

"Exactly."

* * *

"He said that about me?" Weiss asked surprised.

"Indeed, he did." Port said with a smile on his face. Weiss looked at the ground with a regretful look on her face.

"I didn't think he thought of me that way."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about Theodore."

"What else did he say anything else?" She asked looking back up.

"Ha ha! The good part is getting started now!" Port exclaimed.

* * *

"So, these people become huntsmen and huntresses just like Professors Goodwitch and Ozpin?" Ruby asked with a smile on her face.

"No," Theodore answered while shaking his head, "they don't become huntsman or huntresses Ruby. They become the people that Yang told you stories about."

"What's that?"

"Heroes. That's what they become. They rise to the occasion to protect those who can't protect themselves, help those in need of assistance and bring the hurt to those who deserve it. Like in the game of chess when a pawn reaches the other end of the board, one of the fallen pieces can rise again. A knight, bishop, rook, or even a queen. These people rise of to become what the people need, a beacon of hope. They become…heroes. That's why I chose that piece."

Ruby had a look of awe on her face, while Ozpin just had a smile.

"That's so cool!" Ruby said, "I'd like to see where you live one day."

"You might, one day." He replied with a smile and got off his sword. He then pulled it out of the ground and leaned it against his shoulder. "Well, I got to go to the infirmary and have this checked. See you later." With that said he walked away. Ruby stayed behind and looked at Ozpin.

"Do you think that Theodore could be what he said?" she asked him.

"What would that be Miss Rose?" Ozpin replied.

"A beacon of hope." This caused Ozpin to look to where Theodore was walking away as he disappeared into the building before looking back at Ruby.

"Yes, I believe that is something he can be." He replied with a smile.

* * *

"I was all wrong about him." Weiss said after hearing the whole explanation. Hearing how others with gifts rise to help the people she fully understood why he helped her in the classroom. It was something he believed in, doing the right thing. With that information in hand, she turned to walk away.

"Where are you going young lady?" Port asked.

"To apologize to Theodore." She said, turning back around. "Thank you for your help."

"You're very much welcome." Port watched as Weiss left with a smile on her face. He had a smile of his own, thinking about how amazing of a friend Theodore could be to her.

 _The Hero of Vale, helping other students in Beacon._ He thought to himself. _You were right about him Ozpin. That boy is a beacon of hope._

* * *

Failing to find Theodore, Weiss headed back to her room planning on apologizing to him in the morning. Once inside she saw both Blake and Yang asleep in their beds. Yang was snoring up a storm on her bed, surprisingly not waking Blake up. Turning to the bunk beds that belonged to her and Ruby, she saw the scythe wielder asleep on her bed, snoring up a storm as well. What caught Weiss' attention, however, was the many textbooks and notes scattered on her bed. Planning on asking her about it, she gently shook Ruby awake.

Ruby partially opened her eyes and was about to close them when she saw who it was. She immediately woke up and propped herself up with her left arm.

"Weiss!" she exclaimed, "I was studying and then I fell asleep. I'm sorry." Ruby was quieted with the heiress covering her mouth and raising a finger to her own, telling Ruby to stay quiet. She then looked around the bed and saw a coffee cup. She then removed her hand from Ruby's mouth.

"How do you take your coffee?" she asked.

"Uh-uh, I don't- "

"Answer the question."

"Cream and five sugars!"

"Don't move." Weiss went down and then came back up with some coffee, offering it to Ruby. "Here."

"Um, thanks Weiss." Ruby said while taking the cup.

"Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate that you will ever have." That last comment brought a smile to Ruby's face. Their friendship moment was interrupted, however, when they heard a thud. Turning to the source they saw Theodore face down on the ground.

"Sorry." He said while picking himself up, "I was going to knock when the door gave way and then I fell."

"It's alright Theodore." Weiss replied while walking up to him. "Theodore, I…I wanted to apologize to you, for what I said back in the classroom."

"That's funny, because, I actually came to apologize to you."

"What?" Weiss asked with a look of surprise.

"It was wrong of me to yell at you like that. Even if I was defending my mother, she would not be pleased with how I raised my voice at a lady. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course, Theodore. Can you forgive me as well for judging you?"

"Consider yourself forgiven." Theodore said while holding out his hand. Weiss took his hand and shook it. Theodore then gave a questionable look at her. "Um, Weiss, I think there's something in your hair."

"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. She reached up into her hair and felt around. Indeed, feeling something out of place she pulled it out to find a white rose in her hand. "When did this get here? Did you put it there?"

"Was that one of your magic tricks you promised to show me?" Ruby asked now standing next to Weiss with a smile on her face.

"That is part of my apology to you Weiss and yes, Ruby, that is one of my magic tricks for tonight."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"I promised Ruby after class that I would show her some of my magic tricks that I learned from my mom. I was her assistant after all in most of her shows. Since your awake, however, I can show you as well."

"Awesome!" Ruby exclaimed.

"That would be wonderful." Weiss said and went to sit on her bed. Rudy did the same as well, so Theodore did magic tricks for them through the next hours of the night before they both went to sleep. Sneaking of their room, and closing the door quietly, Theodore headed to his own room which was right next to team JNPR.

 _If they knew how I really did my tricks, their minds would be blown._ He thought to himself. Theodore then entered his room, dressed into his night wear, laid on his bed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **Hey everyone. I had to re-edit this document seeing that there were no line breakers and it was hard to keep track of who was talking. I hope this helps. I haven't stopped doing Wolverine Re-Clawed, I am doing research on Kenichi the Mightiest Disciple to make sure I don't get anything wrong. Hopefully, I will be able to update that story soon. Thank you for being patient. Sentinel Prime, out.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Theodore was sitting with team RWBY and JNPR in the lunch room, listening to their conversations, or trying to at least. One of the newly acquainted teammates of JNPR, Nora, was talking about a dream she had about slaying beowolves and selling their fur as coats. This almost caused him to laugh because that was basically impossible. Grimm disintegrate the minute they are slain. He was pulled out of his thoughts when someone asked him a question.

"Hm, what?" he asked, looking to Yang, not clearing hearing her question.

"I asked 'How is your arm doing?'" she replied with a smile.

"Oh! It's fine. The doctor said it should heal completely in two weeks' time. As long as I don't injure it further." He replied while looking at his arm. It was now in a blue cast, accompanied with the same sling he wore when he talked to Ruby. He was wearing his normal attire with his right arm and sling outside of the sleeve and covered by the coat.

"That's nice to know." Yang said, "I really want to see you use your sword again. Gotta admit, wielding a 150-lb. sword like that must take a lot of work."

"The sword is actually 300-lbs. and yes, it did take a lot of work to wield that thing."

This caused both teams to have surprised looks on their faces from hearing the statement. Even the ever so calm Ren had a look of surprise on his face.

"300-lbs.?!" Ruby exclaimed, "How is that possible?!"

"If I told you, you'd never believe me."

"Probably. No offense." Jaune said.

"None taken, Jaune. Are you okay? You seem a bit down."

"I'm okay. See? Okay." Jaune tried his best to look happy, but was failing miserably.

"What's going on exactly that you won't tell me?"

"Cardin has been picking on Jaune since the first week of school." Pyrrha answered.

"Cardin Winchester? The head of team CRDL?" Theodore asked.

"Cardin Winchester?" Jaune said, "No, he just likes to…mess around. You know, practical jokes."

"He's a bully." Ruby replied with an angry look.

"Oh, please name one time he's 'bullied' me."

"He freaked you out while walking down the hall." Yang replied.

"And got your shield stuck in a door." Weiss added.

"And pushed you into a locker and sent it flying." Ruby finished.

"Wait, the lockers can fly?" Theodore asked.

"Yes, just in case you need your weapons and armor." Blake said.

"I didn't land far from the school." Jaune intervened.

"From what I heard, Jaune, this guy won't leave you alone." Theodore said.

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help you can just ask." Pyrrha said.

"Oh, we'll break his legs!" Nora exclaimed while standing up. This caused Theodore to chuckle nervously.

"Heh, heh, heh. Um, Nora. Don't you think that is a little too…extreme?" he asked.

"Guys, really, it's fine." Jaune said while standing up with his tray in hand, "Besides it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone."

"Ow, that hurts!" a girl with a British accent shouted. Everyone looked to see a girl being tormented by Cardin and his team. She was a Faunus with bunny ears that were being pulled by Cardin. His team was on the other side of the table laughing.

"Please, stop." She pleaded.

"Ha,ha,ha. I told you it was real." Cardin said while looking at his team mates.

"What a freak." One of his teammates said. Team RWBY and JNPR watched with contempt at team CRDL was doing. They were brought out of their thoughts, however, when they heard a chair screech. Turning to the source, they saw Theodore walking over to Cardin with a scowl on his face. They had questionable looks on their face when they saw him standing right behind Cardin. The bully and his crew didn't seem to notice because they were still laughing and tormenting the Faunus girl. Their questionable looks turned to complete shock, however, when Theodore grabbed Cardin's left ear and started to pull on it, causing the bully to let go of the Faunus girl and squirm in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." He kept saying as Theodore kept pulling, making Cardin stand up. Cardin was 6'3", so when Theodore saw that he was standing at his full height, he let go of his ear. Cardin took a few seconds to massage his injured ear and then looked down at Theodore with an angry look.

"You got a death wish?" he asked.

"No, I just don't like it when people like you pick on others who are smaller than you." Theodore replied while pointing to the Faunus girl, "Now apologize."

"You can't make me." As soon as those words left Cardin's mouth, Theodore had his nose in his hand and was twisting to where he was screaming.

"Don't push me Winchester. Now, apologize!"

Letting go of his nose, he expected Cardin to cower and apologize to the Faunus girl. He got the opposite, however, when he was back handed by Cardin on his right cheek. Theodore was fine but his temper was starting to rise. By now, the whole cafeteria was watching the whole thing. Team RWBY and JNPR were worried for Theodore because of how he was being treated by Cardin. What they didn't expect, however, was for him to fight back.

Looking back at Cardin with a scowl, he punched him in his right cheek, hard, making the bully stumble and fall to the floor. Everyone had surprised looks on their faces at seeing the display. No one had ever stood up to Team CRDL before. Cardin got up from the floor, nursing his injured cheek, giving an angry look at Theodore.

"You know when people say, 'The things you do will come back and bite you one day?'" Theodore said, "Well, guess what, that day is today. Now, you can either apologize to the nice Faunus girl or test your luck against me in the ring."

"You really think that you can beat me?" Cardin asked with a smirk on his face.

"I'll take your whole team if you like."

"With only one arm?"

"With only one arm."

"You got yourself a fight Conistein."

"It's Con-stan-tine."

"Whatever." With that said, Cardin and his team walked off to the arena. Theodore stayed behind to check if the Faunus girl was alright, he learned that her name was Velvet, and then started walking to the arena. While walking that way, he realized he was being followed by both Team RWBY and JNPR. Weiss walked up right next to him on his left.

"Are you crazy?!" she exclaimed, "Taking on Team CRDL with only one arm? Do you have a death wish?"

"No." He answered back without looking at her and continued to walk. "I just want to show Winchester that picking on people smaller than him is something that cowards do. "

"With only one arm?!" Jaune shouted, "He'll crush you like a bug."

"I'd like to see him try."

* * *

The arena was packed with every student taking seats to watch the fight. Team CRDL were waiting for Theodore to show up.

"Wonder if he turned chicken and ran." Cardin said to his team, causing them to laugh. Their laughing was interrupted, however, when they heard the doors open. Turning they saw Theodore marching with Team RWBY and JNPR right behind him. Theodore then walked onto the arena facing Team CRDL with a scowl on his face.

"Decided to give yourself some help?" Cardin teased.

"I said I'll fight you and your team alone." Theodore replied, "They just followed me out of concern and were trying to talk me out of it."

"Theodore, don't do this." Pyrrha pleaded.

"I'm doing this, whether you guys like it or not. Ruby, catch."

On instinct, Ruby caught whatever Theodore was throwing at her. It was his trench coat that he wore every day. He obviously didn't want to get it ripped during the fight. Everyone immediately took their seats, RWBY and JNPR being the last, waiting for the fight to start. Looking around both teams saw the body of students taking bets on who was going to win.

"Most of the class is betting on CRDL to win." Blake said.

"Well, I'm betting on Theodore." Yang said holding some lien in her hand.

"So, how is the fight going to be?" Cardin asked Theodore.

"Simple." Theodore replied "You can use your weapons in the fight, but if they fall out of the ring you can't retrieve them and use them again. The fight ends with either submission or ring out."

"Sounds reasonable. Alright let's get this fight started. Come and get some."

"Ladies first."

That comment caused Cardin to see red. He told his teammate, Russel Thrush, to charge at Theodore. Russel did as he was told and immediately rushed at his opponent. He threw a few punches, all missing, before his legs were swept from under him and he was punched in his chest. He flew a good five feet before he regained his footing. Looking around, however, he saw that he was out of the ring.

Seeing that his teammate was out, Cardin then sent Delft Bronzewing to fight Theodore. Delft rush at Theodore hoping to push him out of the ring but instead got a knee to the nose. While he was holding his nose, Theodore took the chance to grab him by his arm and throw him out of the ring.

"What's wrong Cardin?" Theodore asked, "Afraid to fight me? Because it certainly looks like it."

"Shut up!" Cardin shouted, "Sky, get him!"

Sky Lark was within striking range of Theodore, before he was grabbed by his armor and thrown out of the ring. All the students watching were shocked. One boy, with an injured arm, had taken down three of Team CRDL's members without breaking a sweat.

"Your turn, Cardin." Theodore said while using his hand in the 'come and get me' gesture, "Come and try to beat me yourself, unless your chicken."

Cardin immediately charged at Theodore with anger in his eyes. Raising his mace, Cardin intended to finish the fight with one blow, but Theodore dodged with ease. Cardin kept swinging hoping to at least hit him once, however, his opponent dodged each time. After a bit of dodging, Theodore decided to show Cardin how tough he was. Doing a spinning kick, he knocked Cardin's mace out of his hand and the ring.

"I'm seeing it, but I'm having trouble believing it." Jaune said with a surprised look on his face.

"Come on Theodore! Break his legs!" Nora shouted.

"Knock him from Vale all the way to Vaccuo!" Yang cheered.

Theodore decided to take Yang's advice (to pound Cardin, not send him flying to Vaccuo) and decided to go on the offensive. He started switching between punching and kicking Cardin in multiple places, arm, leg, and face. In no time, Cardin was on the floor breathing hard and nursing his wounds.

"Like I thought." Theodore said, "All bark, no bite."

Seeing that Theodore had his guard down, Cardin did something that he was going to regret. Charging straight at Theodore he made it look like he was going to punch his face, but missed by an inch aiming for his right shoulder. His fist impacted the injured shoulder, causing Theodore to take a few steps back and place his left hand on his shoulder. He fell onto his knees, while grunting in pain. Everyone in the class room, even the students betting on Cardin, gasped in shock at what happened.

"THAT'S A LOW BLOW CARDIN!" Ruby screamed in anger.

"YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THAT!" Yang shouted, activating her gauntlets in the process.

"Oh please." Cardin answered back, "That was a fair hit. Poor little Theodore Constientane had his guard down."

He didn't get to say anything else as he felt immense pain in between his legs. Placing his hands there, and falling to the ground, face first, he looked to see an angry Theodore staring down at him. Removing his left hand from his right shoulder, he grabbed Cardin by his hair and forced him to look him in the eyes.

"My…name…" he ground out through his teeth before yelling out the last part, "is…THEODORE CON-STAN-TINE!"

With that said, Theodore used all his strength to throw Cardin out of the ring. Cardin landed on his back with a thud, grunting in pain. Theodore then jumped out of the arena with anger written all over his face. Walking up to Cardin, he grabbed him by his breastplate and forced him to look him in the eyes.

"Listen carefully, Winchester, because I am going to say this once." Theodore said, "If I ever hear about you picking on another Faunus or my friends ever again, I will take your armor, heat it until it melts in a cauldron, and then pour all over you until it becomes your new skin. Got it?"

"Y-yeah. I got it." Cardin said out of fear.

"Good. Now, get out of my sight!"

With that said, Cardin immediately got up and started running for the door with his teammates right behind him. Right as he got outside, however, he heard something get lodged into the wall right next to him. Turning to see, he saw it was a playing card. Looking for who threw it, he saw Theodore with a smile on his face.

"Just a little warning Cardin, to see if my message got through." Theodore said with his left hand raised. There was nothing in it, but when he flicked it, another card immediately appeared in his hand. He was about to throw it before Cardin and his boys took off a little bit faster. With the bully gone, Theodore flicked his hand again, making the card disappear. The moment he did that, every student stood up and cheered, clapping their hands and screaming at the top of their lungs. Next thing Theodore knew, he was surrounded by Teams RWBY and JNPR being bombarded with comments and questions.

"You were so awesome!"

"Were did you learn to do that?!"

"Why didn't you break his legs?!"

"Was that a real playing card?!"

"Teach me! Teach me!"

"MR. CONSTANTINE!" shouted the stern voice of Glynda Goodwitch. Everyone turned to see her with an angry look on her face, marching towards Theodore. When she got to him, they both looked each other in the eyes. "What is the meaning of this?"

"It's called dealing with bullies Ms. Goodwitch." Theodore answered with a straight face, equaling her own.

"Professor Ozpin would like to see you. Follow me." With that said, Professor Goodwitch turned around with Theodore walking closely behind her. Theodore turned around, giving a quick wave to Team RWBY and JNPR, before turning back around and following Ms. Goodwitch.

"Do you think he's in trouble?" Yang asked.

"I hope not." Blake replied, "All he did was stand up for someone."

"A Faunus at that." Weiss added, "I must admit was very admirable."

"I hope he isn't expelled." Ruby said with a look of worry. Both teams could only wait and see if Theodore would be either staying or leaving Beacon.

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone. I am so sorry for the late update on any of my stories. School has been a problem and internet has been malfunctioning. I can only submit chapters now when I am at a library. Thank you for being so patient with me. Sentinel Prime out.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The wait in the elevator, to the headmaster's office, was long and quiet. Both Theodore and Glynda Goodwitch didn't say a word to each other after they left the arena. He knew that Goodwitch was angry at him for starting a fight with Team CRDL, but he believed she was wrong in saying that he was in trouble and they were not. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the elevator doors opened, signaling that they had reached the headmaster's office. Walking out, Theodore saw that the entire room was made of glass. Both the ceiling and floor had gears spinning around and dials as well spinning a little faster.

 _It's like being inside a giant clock._ He thought to himself. He was once again pulled out of his thoughts when the headmaster called him.

"Well, Mr. Constantine," Ozpin said, "only a week into Beacon and you are already in trouble."

"If I may add Professor Ozpin," Theodore replied, "I don't find this meeting quite complete if Team CRDL isn't here."

"Team CRDL is not the one at fault here Mr. Constantine, you are." Glynda added.

"Excuse me? I beg to differ since they were the ones who started the whole mess."

"It was how you handled the situation that you were summoned here."

"What was I supposed to do? Stand by and do nothing?"

"You were supposed to wait for a teacher to show up."

Theodore was reciting the alphabet backward, in his head, to keep his cool while Goodwitch was talking. She was criticizing him on protecting the Faunus girl instead calling up Team CRDL and reprimanding them for harassing her.

"I must admit Mr. Constantine," Ozpin said, "how you addressed the problem with team CRDL is out of line."

"Protecting a Faunus, who was getting harassed, is out of line?" Theodore nearly grounded out.

"It is, when you threaten to make the school run red with blood." That comment caused Theodore to have a look of surprise, which turned to embarrassed accompanied with a nervous chuckle.

"Heh, heh…you heard my threat, didn't you?" he asked with a shy smile.

"Yes, I did." Ozpin replied with a smirk, "As did Miss Goodwitch when she entered the room."

"Did you plan to make good on your threat?" Goodwitch asked with a stern look.

"I don't think he was Glynda. From what I could tell, he was bluffing. He was just trying to scare Mr. Winchester."

"That was my goal, Professor." Theodore replied, "Can I leave now? I'm going to be late for history class."

"Of course, Mr. Constantine. But first, Glynda would you please unlock the young man's aura?"

Theodore turned around to face Glynda Goodwitch who had a neutral look on her face. She walked up to Theodore until she was half a foot away from him.

"Close your eyes." She ordered. Theodore obeyed and waited for something to happen. He felt a hand pressed against his forehead, but just concentrated on keeping his eyes closed. He then felt something, not on his body, but inside it. It felt like a new power was being unlocked and he was afraid of interrupting the process. Almost a minute later he felt the hand leave his forehead.

"You may open your eyes now." Glynda said. Theodore opened his eyes to see Glynda with a surprised and almost fearful look on her face. Turning to Ozpin, he had the same calm look that he always had when they first met.

"Why don't you take of your sling, see how your arm is feeling?" Ozpin suggested. Theodore gave him a questionable look, but decided to take his advice. Slowly, he removed the sling and cast from his arm only to find that it didn't hurt anymore. He swung it around a few times to make sure.

"Thank you, Professors." He said with a smile on his face. Theodore then walked the elevator and pressed the button to the history classroom. Once the elevator shut, Glynda turned to Ozpin with fear written all over her face.

"What's wrong, Glynda?" Ozpin asked.

"When I was unlocking his aura," she said "I felt that there were two different souls in him. One was bright but had a shadow hiding inside of it, the other was darkness but still had a sliver of light."

Ozpin looked calm, but deep down he was becoming worried. It seemed that Theodore was keeping more secrets than he expected.

"What should we do Ozpin?" Glynda asked.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens Glynda." Ozpin replied, "I know it sounds like a ridiculous idea, but Mr. Constantine seems to trust the students at the school, except for Team CRDL. I doubt he would do anything to harm them. If we want to learn what secrets he's keeping from us, we must earn his trust. That is something we do not have yet."

History class was going incredibly fast to Theodore. Professor Oobleck, or Doctor Oobleck as he preferred to be called, was talking very fast and dashing around the room making hard for everyone to keep up. Theodore had to use a tape recorder just so that he could take notes from the lesson.

 _This guy talks faster than Barry Allen did._ He thought to himself while continuing to listen to the teacher's lesson.

"Yes, yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popular known as the Faunus War, human kind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." Oobleck stated, then stopped to take a drink from his coffee. "Now, while this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day. Now have any among you subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"

The rabbit Faunus girl who Theodore saved earlier, Velvet, slowly raised her hand after hearing the question.

"Dreadful. Simply dreadful. Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence. I mean…I mean…I mean, just look what happened to the White Fang. Now, which one of you young scarlets ( **I think that's what he said** ) can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?"

Looking around the classroom, Oobleck saw Weiss raise her hand.

"Yes?" he asked.

"The battle at Fort Castle." Weiss answered.

"Precisely. And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagoon's Forces?"

Theodore looked around to see if anyone was going to raise their hand until he saw two things that he didn't appreciate. One: Jaune was sleeping during class, not paying attention to the lesson. Two: Cardin was preparing to throw a paper football at Jaune. Thinking fast, Theodore threw a playing card to intercept the paper football right before it could hit Jaune's head. It worked but also got the attention of Oobleck.

"Ah, Mr. Constantine!" Oobleck stated after running up to Theodore's face. This caused the boy to yelp in surprise and fall off his seat and under the desk. "Oh, my apologies for startling you. Please, tell me what the answer is."

"Night vision, Dr. Oobleck." Theodore answered while getting up and sitting back down, "General Lagoon thought he could catch the Faunus by surprise in their sleep, but learned that lesson the hard way with his capture."

"Pfft. Anyone could have answered that question." Cardin said with a mocking tone.

"If that's true, Cardin, why didn't you answer before me?" Theodore replied. Cardin got up out of his chair in a threating manner, but froze on the spot when Theodore showed five cards in his right hand.

"My shoulder is all better Cardin. You saw how dangerous I was with my left. Do you really want to see what I can do with my right?"

"Mr. Winchester, please take your seat," Oobleck said, "and Mr. Constantine, please put the cards away."

Theodore did as he was told, flicking the cards out of sight. Jaune was laughing at Cardin's predicament until Oobleck dashed in front of him.

"You, Mr. Winchester, and Mr. Arc can all see me after class for additional readings." He said with a serious tone. Jaune gave a groan of disappointment before Oobleck dashed off. "Now, moving on!"

Class had ended, and Theodore was looking for Team RWBY, specifically Blake. He found them and ran after them before they could leave the classroom.

"Blake, wait!" he shouted. The team stopped, turning around to see Theodore reach into the right side of his shirt. Pulling his hand out, he was holding the Sherlock Holmes book and holding it out to Blake. "I finished the book. You can read it now."

"Oh, thank you." Blake said with a smile and took the book. The team said, 'See you later' to Theodore and left the classroom. Theodore then returned to his seat to listen to Dr. Oobleck and hopefully get the information that he missed.

"Mr. Constantine." Oobleck started, "If your hoping to get the small part of the lesson that you missed three minutes after class started, I'm sorry, that is not the case. I appreciate though that you have been paying attention in class though."

"Thank you, Doctor." Theodore replied.

"Please, don't be late again, and don't threaten other students, even if they are bullying someone else. Also, please come to Headmaster Ozpin's office later tonight." Oobleck then turned his attention to Jaune and Cardin. "You two have been struggling in my class since day one. Now, I don't know if it is from a lack of interest or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is…it stops now. You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it."

Theodore looked at Jaune with a concerned look seeing he was not taking this information well. Cardin looked as if he didn't care at all, which Theodore's look went from concerned to mad.

 _Of course, he wouldn't care._ Theodore thought to himself.

"History is important, gentlemen." Oobleck stated to all three boys, "If you can't learn from it…you're destined to repeat it. Pages 51-91, I want an essay on my desk by next class. Now, run along."

With that said, Oobleck dashed out of the room. Theodore and Jaune walked out behind. Just as they left the room, however, Theodore was shoved to the floor, nearly landing on his face. He looked to see Cardin walking away with a scowl on his face. Jaune and Pyrrha, who was waiting for her partner, helped him up off the floor.

"You know, I really will break his legs." Pyrrha said in a serious tone.

"Not if I break them first." Theodore said. Jaune just let out a sad sigh.

"I have an idea!" Pyrrha stated in a happier tone, "Here, come with me."

She grabbed Jaune by his arm and ran to a different location with Theodore following closely behind. They exited through a door that led to the room of the History Class building. Walking to the edge of the building, they looked to Beacon Tower. Theodore pulled out his scroll and a picture of the view. The lights lit up the tower at night, making it look stunning.

"Pyrrha, I know I'm going through a hard time," Jaune said while standing on the ledge, "but I'm not that depressed. I can always be a farmer or something."

Theodore turned to Jaune and tried his hardest to contain his laughter. He knew Jaune was dense, but he didn't think he was that dense.

"No!" Pyrrha exclaimed while pulling Jaune from the ledge. "That's not why I brought you up here. Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class, and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so…I want to help you."

"What?" Jaune said with surprise written all over his face. Theodore just watched the two with a smile on his face.

"We can train up here, after class, where no one can bother us."

"You think I need help?"

"No! No. That's not what I meant."

"But you just said it."

"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon. That speaks volumes of what you are capable of."

At that statement, Jaune turned away from Pyrrha.

"You're wrong." He said, "I don't belong here."

"That's a terrible thing to say." Pyrrha replied "Of course you do."

Jaune turned around to face her after that statement. "No, I don't! I wasn't really accepted into Beacon." He turned away from her again. Theodore started to get worried after hearing what Jaune said.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"I mean, I didn't go to combat school! I didn't pass any test! I didn't earn my spot at this academy!" Jaune then turned to face Pyrrha, "I lied. I got my hands fake transcripts and I lied."

"What? But…why?"

"Because this is what I've always wanted to be!" Again, he turned away from Pyrrha, "My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes. I wanted to be one too. I was just never good enough."

"Then let me help you." Pyrrha said while placing her left hand on his right shoulder. Sadly, Jaune shook it off and turned to face her.

"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero, like you Theodore!"

"Jaune, I- "

"I'm tired of the being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree, while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand?! If I can't do this on my own, then what good am I?!"

Theodore had heard and had enough. He knew where this was going if he didn't help. He grabbed Jaune by his shirt and pulled him to the center of the building. Pyrrha closely followed worried about what was going to happen. What she didn't expect was for Theodore to let go of Jaune and act like a mime. When she walked to where he was standing, she put her hand out and felt something.

"We're in a sound proof glass dome." Theodore said, "I was setting it up while you two were talking."

"Theodore, what is this about?" Jaune asked.

"I'm tired of hearing you whine and saying that you are a failure. Do you think I became a hero and magician because I was born for it?"

"Well…yeah."

"You're wrong. I couldn't get an elderly woman's cat out of a four-foot tree without a ladder. It took five years for me just to do simple card tricks."

"It took you that long?"

"Yes. Jaune, people get to where they want to go because they work for it. I had to learn to do these magic tricks. I had to learn how to be a hero. Nothing comes naturally, only through hard work."

"But what about me?"

"There is a word for you Jaune. It's late bloomer. It may take longer for you to learn how to fight, but you'll get there, and when you do it will be worth it. I want help you as well. Train you how to use a claymore sword. It comes in handy with certain, trust me. Look, I understand you want to fight your own battles, but that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. You have friends who want to help in any situation, big or small. Don't push them away."

Jaune listened to every word that Theodore said. He felt bad for how he talked to Pyrrha when she was only trying to help. He did want to get stronger, but he also wanted to do it on his own. Then again, his friends were always there for him, whether he liked it or not. He wanted to try himself, but he also didn't want to hurt their feelings and possibly loose the only friends he had, especially one who he started to see as a brother.

"Can I think about it at least?" Jaune asked.

"You can have all the time you need." Theodore replied, "Pyrrha and I will be waiting for you answer."

"Thanks, Theodore, and Pyrrha…I'm sorry. I know you're trying to help and I'm acting like a jerk- "

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, "it's okay. I'm glad you're trying to understand."

"Thanks, Pyrrha."

"Well, you two," Theodore said while leading them out of the dome, "I need to go see Oobleck and work my essay, and so should you Jaune."

In team RWBY's dorm, Blake was lying on her bed reading the Sherlock Holmes book Theodore had leant her. She was enjoying the mysteries and how the detective solved them. Facts that she missed while they were plainly laid out in front of her eyes. Just as she finished the chapter she was on, The Silver Band, she saw a note fall out of the book. Picking it up, she saw that it had her name on it. Unfolding it Blake read the contents and almost gasped at what it said.

 _Blake, I know your secret but not why you are hiding. Please meet me on the roof in 30 minutes to talk._

 _Theodore Constantine_

Blake was scared at what she read. Someone was able to deduce what she was hiding. Careful not to wake up her teammates, she got dressed in her usual attire and walked out of the room, heading straight for the roof, hoping that Theodore hadn't figured out where she really came from.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Pyrrha was sitting by the window in Team JNPR's dorm, with her mind on Jaune. It has been a week since he asked for time to think about her and Theodore's offer to help him train. It wasn't that she didn't know where he was, she knew exactly where he was.

"Do you think Jaune is okay?" Nora asked while jumping on the bed.

"He has been stuck with Cardin for quite a while." Ren replied, doing maintenance on his gun.

"Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!"

"I'm sure he's fine." Pyrrha said. She got up from where he was sitting and walking to the door, opening it slightly, to see Jaune on the other side trying to contain laughter.

"What's so funny Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Cardin still hasn't figured it out." Jaune said, finally containing his laughter.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Theodore was right. This would be a funny prank to play on Cardin. Well, I gotta get back to my tent. Well, it's Theodore's. He's just letting me use it. See you tomorrow."

Jaune then left with a smile on his face. Pyrrha slowly closed the door, making not to make anyone down the hall wake up. Once the door was closed, she started to laugh.

"He hasn't figured it out yet has he?" Ren asked, with a smile.

"No! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! He hasn't!" Pyrrha replied in between laughs. Nora joined in Pyrrha's laughter at the discovery. They thought the plan wouldn't work but it looked like Theodore proved them wrong.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Team JNPR and RWBY were on the roof with waiting on Theodore to arrive. He had text them on their scrolls concerning 'something funny.' When Theodore walked through the door, everyone turned to him with their full attention._

 _"You're all probably wondering why I called you up here." He started, getting a nod from everyone. "Well, to put it simply, Jaune is being blackmailed by Cardin."_

 _Everyone gasped in shock and looked at Jaune._

 _"Why didn't you tell us?" Pyrrha demanded._

 _"That explains why you are arrived late at the dorm." Ren stated._

 _"Should we break his legs?" Nora asked._

 _"Everyone, calm down." Theodore said, getting their attention. "Jaune didn't tell because I asked him not to."_

 _"What?!" Weiss exclaimed, "What is wrong with you?!"_

 _"Do you realize you were just going to let Jaune suffer?!" Yang stated, "What kind of friend are you?!"_

 _"One who has a great plan at showing Cardin just how foolish he really is." This caused everyone to look at him with curious faces. "Cardin thinks he knows almost everything Jaune knows and more. Well, I wish to prove him wrong. I told you all because I believe that from today to the field trip, Cardin will not even realize that we are aware of Jaune's predicament."_

 _"He'll figure it out by tomorrow." Yang said._

 _"50 lien says you're wrong."_

 _"Oh, you're on Theo."_

 _"I'll get you back for that in the ring. So, can I count on you guys to not let Cardin know that we know?"_

 _Everyone nodded their heads yes._

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Jaune continued walking down the hall when he heard his scroll go off. Grabbing it and looking at who it was, he saw it was a recorded message from Cardin. Wanting to know what it was, he pressed the play button.

"Hey, it's your buddy Cardin." It said "I know you're probably busy with that dust project I gave you, but I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of rapier wasps, and make sure they got some really big stingers. It's important, so don't screw this up."

The message ended and Jaune closed his scroll with a worried look. Wasps were not the kind of bugs that anyone would to be around with. Opening his scroll back up, he sent the message to Theodore, hoping that he could figure out what Cardin was up to. With that done, he went to the tent and went to sleep.

"Yes, students," Glynda Goodwitch said while leading everyone, "the forest of Forever Falls is indeed beautiful, but we are not here to sight see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so."

Glynda stopped walking, making everyone stop as well. Jaune carrying bottles for Team CRDL accidently crashed into Cardin nearly dropping the bottles. He gave Cardin an apologetic look while Cardin gave him an angry one.

"Each of you is to gather one jars worth of red sap." Glynda continued showing a jar filled with sap. "However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm. So be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun."

"Come on, buddy," Cardin said to Jaune, "let's go."

As they were leaving, without Cardin noticing, Jaune gave a wink to Pyrrha and Theodore who returned the wink. Everyone then split up to go collect their samples.

Team CRDL sat around, admiring the air, and passing the time. A few moments later Jaune walked back with all six jars full of sap. He carefully placed them on the ground before he collapsed, face first, on the ground.

"Hey, great work Jauney Boy." Cardin said, "Now that wasn't too hard, was it?"

"I think I'm allergic to this stuff." Jaune said.

"Great, great, great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself 'Why did my buddy, Cardin, ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there's only five of us?'"

"That is one of the many questions I have asked myself today, yes."

"Well, come with me and you'll find out."

Groaning nervously, Jaune followed them to a hill. It allowed to see everyone collecting their sap. Ren collected the sap Nora need and then collected his. He turned around only to see that Nora had drank hers.

"Cardin, what's going on?" Jaune asked.

"Payback." Cardin replied. Following his gaze, Jaune saw Theodore drawing in a notepad. His jar was already full of sap, he was just passing the time. His gaze went from concentrated to annoyed as he tore out the paper, crumpled it up and threw it into the bin on his right. He then started to draw again.

"Theodore?" Jaune wondered, "What are you- "

"That's him." Cardin said, "Black hair, blues eyes, know-it-all, and thinks he's so smart. He looks like he's having a bad day with whatever he's doing. Well, lets turn it from bad to worse."

Cardin then pulled a box from behind his back and placed it in front of him. It had a W on it and was emitting a buzzing noise.

"All right, boys," Cardin said, "last night, old Jaune here managed to rat up an entire box full of rapier wasps, and now were gonna put them to work."

Jaune laughed nervously at what he heard.

"Now, according to one of the essays he wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets. I'm thinking it's time we teach him a thing or two."

Jaune was not liking where this was going. He took the hand Cardin had offered him to be pulled up from the ground, then got a jar of sap shoved into his hands.

"And you're gonna do it."

"Do what?" Jaune asked, fearing what the answer would be.

"Hit him with the sap. Either that or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."

Jaune looked at the jar he was holding. He then looked to where Theodore was. Hoping for the best, particularly that his aim would be off, Jaune got into a throwing position and made ready to throw the jar at Theodore. Just as he was about to let it fly though, he remembered the conversation he had with Theodore the night before the field trip.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Jaune had just laid down in his sleeping bag when his scroll went off. Looking at the ID, he saw it was Theodore. He immediately answered._

 _"Hello?" he said._

 _"I got your message Jaune," Theodore said, "and I don't think the results will end well."_

 _"How's that?"_

 _"Your teammates may not take this as you are being blackmailed. Instead they may take it as you are accepting how Cardin does things."_

 _"What about you?"_

 _"It's something I don't like to talk about, but…I'm allergic to wasp stings."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Yeah, it's true. If I get stung, I'll swell up and have trouble breathing."_

 _"W-W-W-What do I do?! I can't let that happen to you!"_

 _"Jaune, I know your scared of Cardin revealing your secret. I won't stop you from what he might have planned, but I do encourage you to stand up to him. There's also something I should've told you on the roof."_

 _"What's that?"_

 _"True heroes aren't the ones who can save lives or stop bad guys. True heroes are the ones who do simple acts of kindness, like becoming a friend to someone who doesn't have any, or being nice to those who feel lonely. When you wished to be friends with both me and Ruby, that day, you became a hero. I know you'll do the right thing Jaune. Know this, you're already a hero in my book."_

 _"Thanks, Theodore. Good night."_

 _"Good night."_

 _Flashback End_

* * *

In that moment, Jaune knew he couldn't do it. Theodore was willing to help him, even when he wasn't accepting it. One of the first friends that he made was willing to endure intense pain just so that Jaune could make it through Beacon. The blond knight knew what to do. He knew it may be the end of his chances to become a huntsman, but he wasn't going to lose his friend to a plan that might get him killed.

"No." he quietly said.

"What did you say?" Cardin asked, not clearly hearing what he said.

"I said, no!" Saying that, Jaune threw the jar away. When he saw what it impacted with he immediately regretted his action. Not refusing to follow Cardin's orders, but throwing the jar. It had collided with the bully, spilling sap all over his armor.

"Oh, ho, ho. You've done it now." Cardin said with an evil smile on his face. Jaune laughed nervously knowing what was going to happen.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everyone. Sorry for the late updates. Finals rolled in and my schedule was piled to the ceiling. However, I was able to make two more chapters for you guys. Some bad news, I am not going to be working on Wolverine Re-Clawed for a time. Trying to work on two stories, in different universes, can really mess things up. I will continue to work on stories for the DC Universe. Theodore Constantine isn't the only one I will be working on. Until then, have a Merry Christmas. Sentinel Prime, out.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

All Jaune was feeling now was pain. Cardin was unhappy with the fact that he would not go through with his plan. The blond knight was knocked to the ground with bruises all over his face. He didn't even get a moments rest before Cardin picked him up and punched him, causing him to fall to the ground again.

"You know that wasn't very smart, Jauney Boy." Cardin picking him up by his chest plate, "I'm going to make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny, tiny pieces. Do you know what the worst part is? Theodore Coinstrientane isn't here to save you."

"It's Theodore Con-stan-tine," Jaune corrected with an angry look, "and I don't care what you do to me, but you are not messing with my team or my friends."

"What? You think talk like that makes you tough?" Cardin replied while lifting Jaune into the air, a foot above the ground, "You think you're a big, strong man now?"

Jaune looked at him with a sheepish smile that said, 'Sort of.' Cardin was extremely ticked off now. He made to deliver a punch to Jaune's face, but only contacted something that felt like a brick wall. He immediately let go of Jaune and held his injured hand. Jaune was just as confused, because he felt no pain on his face. He looked at his hands and found the answer. His aura had protected him from the punch and healed him. He didn't get to ponder on that thought for long because he was kicked in the back by one of Cardin's boys. Looking back up with an angry face, Jaune saw Team CRDL in front of him.

"Let's see how much of a man you really are." Cardin said, taking a few steps towards him. He stopped in his tracks, however, when he heard a growl. All five boys turned to see an ursa walk out of the woods. It wasn't the normal ursa they took out in initiation though. This one was bigger and had spikes protruding from its back like a porcupine. It stood up on its two hind legs, making itself look bigger. It started to sniff around for something and found the source on Cardin's chest plate. It was the sap that Jaune had thrown at him and the ursa looked hungry for something sweet. It once again got down on all fours and roared at Cardin.

"That's a big ursa!" Sky said while turning tail and running away, as did the other members of Team CRDL, leaving Cardin and Jaune alone with the Grimm. It swung its right paw at Cardin, making fly a few feet to the left, leaving Jaune face to face with the Grimm. Instead of attacking him, however, it walked over to where Cardin was on the ground, determined to make him its dinner. The leader of Team CRDL tried to fight off the ursa, but had his weapon swatted away. Jaune was contemplating whether to go get help or stay and fight, even though he wasn't very good at it.

* * *

On the other side of the forest, the remaining students heard a roar.

"Did you guys hear that?" Ruby asked. Everyone's attention was turned from the question to the three members of Team CRDL running past them shouting "URSA! URSA!"

Sky was stopped by him accidentally running into Yang. He didn't knock her over and he didn't fall either. Yang had grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him into the air.

"What?! Where?!" Yang asked.

"Back there!" Sky replied pointing in the direction they came from, "It's got Cardin!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha said, dropping her jar of sap out of shock. Yang didn't get to question Sky further when Theodore grabbed him by the hair and yanked him out of Yang's grasp.

"And you just left them?! You COWARD!" Theodore exclaimed, anger written all over his face. He then threw Sky away from him and darted towards where Jaune, Cardin, and the ursa were located.

"Yang, you and Blake go get Professor Goodwitch." Rudy told her sister. Yang immediately followed the three member of Team CRDL with Blake right behind her.

"You two, go with them. There could be more." Pyrrha told Ren and Nora, before activating her weapon and following Ruby and Weiss.

* * *

Cardin was trying to run from the ursa, but failed as the Grimm jumped in front of him and swatted him like a fly. Cardin landed on his back, a bit winded but unharmed, for now. He tried to crawl away but felt one of his leg muscles go stiff.

"What the-cramp! Cramp!" he said while trying to crawl away with the injury.

"Hey Grimm!" someone shouted. Both, the student and Grimm, turned to the source to see Theodore with his sword at the ready. "Are you an ursa or a porcupine?!"

Theodore then leapt at the ursa, planning on chopping its head off. Instead, he was swatted right into Cardin, both boys colliding into a tree. Two of the branches fell off and onto the boys, trapping them. Cardin had the branch on his back, with his body facing the ursa. Theodore's back was up against the tree, with the branch on his lap. Both boys watched helplessly as the ursa slowly walked closer to them. Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha had reach the location just as the ursa was three steps from them.

"Oh no!" Pyrrha exclaimed. The ursa was within striking range of the two boys. Cardin tried to crawl away, while Theodore tried to lift the branch off his lap. Their attempts were in vain as the ursa raised itself on its hind leg and put its left paw in striking position.

"Bullocks." Theodore cursed. Right when the paw was about to hit him and Cardin, it was blocked, to everyone's surprise, by Jaune. The blond knight had stepped into action, unsheathing his sword and using his shield to block the attack. Weiss was about to step in and help Jaune when Pyrrha stopped her with a simple 'Wait.'

Jaune pushed the paw away and slashed at the ursas neck with his sword. The blow caused the ursa to take a few steps back, growling in pain. It retaliated by swiping at Jaune, missing when he dodged to the left. It swiped and missed again when the blond knight jumped in the air. It's third swipe, however, was successful in hitting Jaune, sending him rolling a few feet in front of Theodore and Cardin.

"Jaune! Get out of there!" Theodore shouted, "Let Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss handle this!"

"No way!" Jaune replied while standing up, "You helped me even when I didn't ask for it! Now, it's my turn to help you!"

The blond knight then charged at the ursa, leaping in the air, hoping to get a hit on its face. That plan failed though when the ursa dodged and its paw impacted Jaune's back. This caused the blond knight to roll a few feet again. He got up and checked his aura meter to make sure he could still fight. It was in the red, near the point when he would have any to protect himself until later.

Jaune knew he had to finish the fight quick or he was a goner. The ursa roared to get his attention, causing the blond knight to get into a fighting stance. Both he and the ursa charged at one another. Theodore saw that Jaune was planning to deflect the paw and slash at the ursa, but noticed that his shield was tipped the wrong way. Making sure that no one was watching him, he raised his hand slightly in the air towards Jaune. Before he could do what, he was going to do, however, Theodore saw Pyrrha do the same thing.

He deduced that she came to the same conclusion and was going to help. He saw a dark black aura surround her hand and on to Jaune's shield, tipping it in the right direction. Her plan saved Jaune's life and gave him enough room to kill the ursa, cutting off its head. The head of the ursa flew a few feet to the left and the body fell to the ground.

"HEADSHOT!" Theodore shouted in excitement, "WOO-HOO! WAIT TO SLAY A GRIMM JAUNE! THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"Uh…what?" Ruby asked.

"How did you…?" Weiss added.

"Well, Ruby has her speed," Pyrrha replied, "you have your glyphs…my semblance is polarity."

"You can control poles." Ruby said. Theodore tried his hardest not to laugh at what he heard her say.

"No, you dunce." Weiss stated, "It means she has control over magnetism."

"Magnets are cool too."

"Hey, guys!" Theodore shouted to get their attention, "I don't mean to interrupt the friendship moment, but…a little help here please?"

Jaune immediately converted his shield into a sheath, strapped it to his belt, and sheathed his sword. He then ran to where Theodore was and started to help him get the branch off. Ruby, Pyrrha, and Weiss came to help and get the branch on top of Cardin off as well.

"We should probably tell Professor Goodwitch what happened." Weiss suggested.

"We could," Pyrrha replied, "or, perhaps, we could just keep it our little secret."

"I don't know how that would work, but I'm trusting you Pyrrha." Theodore replied. They finally removed the branches off him and Cardin. Both were helped up by Jaune which they were surprised at.

"Holy smoke!" Cardin exclaimed with surprise, "Jaune!"

"Don't ever mess with my team," Jaune replied with authority, "my friends ever again. Got it?"

Jaune walked away from an embarrassed looking Cardin towards his friends. Theodore was both surprised and proud of Jaune. Surprised that he chose to help Cardin, both by protecting him from the Grimm and getting the branch off him. Proud for choosing to do the right thing even if it meant him leaving the school. With that in mind, he followed the remaining students back to Professor Goodwitch.

* * *

It was night time at Beacon Academy. Jaune was reflecting on what happened that day. How he almost did the wrong thing and almost died when he chose to do the right. A small smile came to his face when he thought about how he finally listened to his friend's advice. If only he chose to do that at day one.

"You wanted to see us?" asked a familiar voice. Turning to the source he saw Theodore and Pyrrha walking up to him. He noticed that Theodore was counting some lien in his hand. It was probably the payment Yang had to give him for losing the bet.

"Yang's fifty lien?" Jaune asked.

"Yup." Theodore replied putting the money in his pocket and looking at him, "She was pretty hesitant at first, but finally gave it up."

"What is it you wanted to talk about Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"I just wanted to tell you guys thank you for not giving up on me," Jaune replied, "and, if your offers are still open, I want to accept you guy's help. Training me to become a better fighter."

Pyrrha stood away from Jaune with a smile on her face. Turning back to him, she walked up to Jaune and pushed him to the ground.

"Hey!" he said.

"Your stance is all wrong." She told him, "You need to be wider and lower to the ground."

She then offered a hand to Jaune, which he accepted with a smile and was helped up.

"Well, you two have a fun time training." Theodore said turning away towards the door, "Tomorrow though, Jaune, you and I will start, and I promise, it won't be as nice as what you are doing with Pyrrha."

With that said, Theodore left the roof and entered the building. While walking to his dorm, his thoughts were on what almost happened that day.

 _I almost revealed what I could do._ He thought to himself, _I should tell them soon, especially the headmaster._

With that in mind, Theodore entered his dorm to turn in for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Vale was covered with balloons and banners of different colors. Theodore was walking with Team RWBY through the city for the sites. Walking to a street, they saw a banister being hung up that read 'Welcome to Vale."

"The Vital Festival!" Weiss stated with a smile, "This is absolutely wonderful!"

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much Weiss." Ruby said, "It's kind of weirding me out."

"You and me both." Theodore added.

"How could you not smile?" Weiss asked as they continued to walk through the city, "A festival dedicated to the cultures of the world. There will be dances. Parades. A tournament. Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking."

"You really know to take a good thing and make it sound boring." Yang said.

"Quiet you!"

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?" Yang asked, everyone coming to a halt at the said location.

"Ugh, they smell like fish." Ruby said while holding her nose.

"Too bad I didn't bring my fishing pole." Theodore joked which earned him a glare from all the girls. He held his hands in defense saying, "It was just a joke."

"I've heard that students, visiting from Vacuo, will be arriving by ship today" Weiss said, "and as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them so that she'll have the upper hand in the tournament." Blake clarified.

"Isn't that considered cheating?" Theodore asked.

"You can't prove that!" Weiss stated, turning towards Blake.

"Whoa." Ruby exclaimed getting everyone's attention. Across from the docks, a dust shop was nearly covered in caution tape and with police. All five students walked to see what was going on.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked one of the police men. He looked to be 6'1", had dark brown hair and a beard on his face. His eye color was unknown because of the sunglasses.

"Robbery." He answered, "The second dust shop to be hit this week. This place is turning into a jungle."

"Ugh, that's terrible." Yang said.

"They left all the money again." The other police officer said. He was the same height, but had dark grey hair and no beard. He also had sunglasses on his face.

"Yeah, it just doesn't make a lick of sense." The other officer replied, "Who needs that much dust?"

"I don't know. An army?"

"You thinking the uh…White Fang?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking to we don't get paid enough."

"Mind if I look around?" Theodore asked while passing the tape.

"Theodore Constantine." The bearded officer said, "Be our guest, just don't be to disappointed if you don't find anything."

Theodore continued into the shop to see if he could find anything that the police missed. Carefully looking around the shop, on top of shelves and under tables, he searched for anything that could give a clue to who robbed the dust shop. When he reached a specific table, he found something that didn't look like dust. Theodore swiped it up with his index finger and sniffed it. It wasn't dust at all. It was ashes from a smoked cigar.

"Torchwick was here." He said to the officers while walking past them. He rejoined Team RWBY to continue there walk but came upon a disagreement about to start.

"Humph. The White Fang." Weiss scoffed, "What an awful bunch of degenerates."

"Weiss, don't you think that's a little harsh?" Theodore asked, "Besides, it was Torchwick who robbed the dust shop, not the White Fang."

"What's your problem?" Blake asked Weiss.

"My problem?" Weiss asked back, "I simply don't care the criminally insane."

 _Why do I get the feeling an argument is about to start?_ Theodore thought.

"The White Fang is hardly a bunch of psychopaths." Blake retaliated, "They're a collection of misguided Faunus."

"Misguided?" Weiss replied, "They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet."

 _OK. She is taking this too far._ Theodore thought to himself, trying to keep his patience in check. Sadly, Blake wasn't as patient.

"So, then they're very misguided." Blake shot back, "Either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop in the middle of Downtown, Vale."

"Blakes got a point." Ruby said. "Besides the police never caught that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago. Maybe it was him."

"It was him." Theodore stated holding up his index finger, "This is a high quality, cigar ash. Only Roman Torchwick smokes something like this. He's going to kill himself one day if he doesn't stop smoking."

"That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum." Weiss said, "Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal."

Theodore was trying to keep his temper in check by counting backwards, starting from 100. Weiss was acting like a snobby racist and it was really ticking him off.

"That's not necessarily true." Yang said. Theodore hoped that would be the end of the argument and they could continue their day with everyone wearing a smile. He was wrong.

"HEY! STOP THAT FAUNUS!" Someone shouted. Turning to where the shout came from, all five students dashed to the railing that let them view the docks. The saw a boy run from the ships security, onto the edge of the boat.

"Thanks for the ride guys!" he said to them. He then leapt off the boat, onto the docks. He then ran to a pole and started hanging upside down. They all saw how he was able to do this by the tail he used to grip the pole. Upon seeing him closer, they saw he had blond hair and blue eyes. His shirt was short sleeved and was unbuttoned showing his chest and abs. He wore gloves that looked like they were from Tekken. Everyone deduced that he was a monkey Faunus.

"YOU NO-GOOD STOWAWAY!" one of the security guards shouted.

"HEY! A NO-GOOD STOWAWAY WOULD'VE BEEN CAUGHT!" the monkey Faunus shouted back, while peeling a banana, "I'M A GREAT STOWAWAY!"

He narrowly dodged a rock that was thrown a him by a police officer.

 _He should be fired for attempted grievous bodily harm._ Theodore thought to himself.

"Hey, get down from there this instant!" The police officer commanded. His answer was a banana peel to his face. The Faunus laughed for a bit and then jumped off the pole, landing behind the police men. He then started to run up to the streets of Vale. The students got a good look at what pants he was wearing. They were blue jeans that were rolled up half way to his knees.

He ran right past the students, giving Blake a quick wink. Theodore gave quick chase before he lost him. He took to the rooftops hoping to cut him off. He was lucky when he ran down the alley, more like jumped into it. The Faunus looked back while running to see if he lost the police. Happy that he did, he turned his head back to look forward only to stop in his tracks. Someone was standing in front of him, blocking his path.

"Excuse me," the Faunus said, "Trying to see the sights here."

"I know," Theodore replied, "but I have a few questions I need to ask you."

"Yeah? How long will it take?"

"Just a few seconds, super Saiyan."

"Hm…OK. Ask away."

"Thank you. All right, have you seen- "Theodore didn't get to finish his question as he was punched in the nose. The monkey Faunus then jumped over him and vanished. Theodore held his nose with his left hand and check to see if it was OK. He saw blood on his hand.

"Guys got a good punch." He said to himself. He then started to walk back to Team RWBY hoping that the little incident they had earlier would have finally cooled down. He finally reached them after three minutes of searching, only to see Weiss and Blake still arguing. He walked up to Yang and Ruby seeing that they were keeping their distance.

"They're still going?" he asked them.

"Yep, they still are." Yang replied turning to face Theodore. She immediately took notice of his bleeding nose. "Theodore! What happened to you?!"

That got Weiss' and Blake's attention. They turned around to see Theodore with a bloody nose and ran right up to him. Weiss had a handkerchief in her pocket. She immediately reached for it and handed it to Theodore, who accepted it with his right hand and held it to his nose.

"Monkey boy sucker punched me." He answered.

"What did I tell you?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Weiss, I backed him into a corner. He had not choice, but to force me away. I'll have your handkerchief washed and given back to you by tomorrow. I'll go on ahead to Beacon to have my nose checked."

With that said, Theodore started walking back to Beacon but not before whispering something to Blake.

"Thin ice, Blake."

Blake stood frozen for a moment before remembering her conversation with Theodore.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _Theodore waited for Blake on top of the roof over the dorms. He had just finished his conversation with the professors after he had talked to Jaune. He heard the door of the roof opening. He turned around to see Blake in her normal attire, with a scared look on her face._

 _"How did you figure it out?" she asked._

 _"Simple." He answered, "I noticed your bow twitches when ever something surprises you, and flattens whenever you are mad. Also, can't forget your irresistible appetite for fish. With these facts, I concluded that your bow was really cat ears and that you are a cat Faunus. Nice way to hide your heritage by the way."_

 _"You said you knew my secret but not why I was hiding it. What do you mean by that?"_

 _"What I mean is…why hide it? Why keep it from your team? Your friends?"_

 _"I'm afraid of how they'll think of me if they find out what I really am, especially Weiss. Her family and the Faunus have some bad history between each other."_

 _"That I do know, but Weiss isn't her father. Blake, they're your friends. I doubt they'll think of you any differently, even if you are a Faunus. You're treading on very thin ice Blake. You must be careful where you step. You need to tell them."_

 _"Are you going to tell them if I don't?" she asked with a hint of fear in her voice._

 _"No." he replied, "That's not my secret to tell. That's yours and yours alone. Please, don't lose the friends that you made by not telling them."_

 _With the conversation ended, Theodore entered the building to return to his dorm, leaving Blake with her thoughts._

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Theodore just exited the infirmary with a healed nose. His aura had finally kicked in and done its work. He was walking past Team RWBY's dorm when he heard shouting. Walking up to the room, slowly and quietly opening the door, he walked in. He then quietly closed it, walking right behind Yang and Ruby.

"They're still going?" he asked.

"Yup, sadly." Yang replied.

"I don't understand why this is causing such a problem!" Weiss said.

"That is the problem!" Blake replied.

"You realize you're defending an organization that hates humanity, don't you?! The Faunus, of the White Fang, are pure evil!"

"There's no such thing as pure evil! Why do you think they hate humanity so much?! It's because of people like Cardin, people like you, that force the White Fang to take such drastic measures!"

"People like me?!"

 _Blake, this is getting out of hand._ Theodore thought, seeing that this argument was going south.

"You're discriminatory!" Blake stated.

"I'm a victim!" Weiss replied, "You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus? It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember, and ever since I was a child, I've watched family, friends disappear. Board members executed. An entire train car full of dust, stolen, and everyday my father would come home furious, and that made for a very difficult childhood."

 _Your father brought that upon himself for mistreating the Faunus, Weiss_. Theodore thought to himself, _I wish you could see that._

Ruby walked up to Weiss, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Weiss, I- "Ruby tried to apologize, but didn't get to as Weiss shrugged off her hand.

"No!" Weiss exclaimed, "You want to know why I despise the White Fang?! It's because they're a bunch of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Maybe we we're just tired of being pushed around!" Blake retorted and immediately realized her mistake. She had revealed her secret under the worst conditions. The remaining three members of Team RWBY all had surprised looks on their faces, while Theodore was shaking his face with his right hand covering it. Out of fear, Blake ran, leaving everyone in the room with their thoughts on the matter.

"Blake! Come back!" Ruby shouted, running to the door. Yang had a sad look on her face while Weiss was angry. Theodore looked at her with an angry look of his own. He then stormed out of the room, trying to keep himself from slapping the heiress.

* * *

"She's been gone all weekend." Ruby said sadly. She, Weiss, Yang and Theodore were all looking for Blake. She had not returned that night or the night after. The three of the four group were getting worried, so they decided to go look for her.

"Blake's a big girl." Weiss said, "I'm sure she can handle herself."

"Weiss, come on." Yang said, "She's one of our teammates."

"Is she? We all heard what she said."

"Weiss." Ruby retorted.

"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't." Yang stated, "Either way, she's missing, and we need to find her."

"A member of the White Fang! Right underneath our noses!" Hearing that, Theodore was coming very close to slapping Weiss in the face, but refrained from doing so.

"I just hope she's OK." Ruby said, as everyone continued to walk down the street. Theodore lagged a bit to pull out his scroll and dial an unknown number. It rang three times before it was answered.

"Hey, I need you to look for someone." He said.

* * *

Blake was sitting at a café, with the newly acquainted monkey Faunus, named Sun Wu Kong, sitting across from her. Her mind was still on what happened that night.

 _Theodore was right,_ Blake thought to herself, _by keeping it a secret I made things worse. I should've listened to him. All of this could've probably been avoided._

Looking at Sun, she decided to put Theodore's advice into action. The secrecy had to stop.

"So," she started, "you want to know more about me."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Finally! She speaks." Sun exclaimed, "Nearly two days and you've given me nothing but small talk and weird looks."

This earned him an angry look from Blake.

"Yeah, like that."

"Sun, are you familiar with the name, Theodore Constantine?" Blake asked, no longer angry.

"Are you kidding? I'm sure every Faunus on the planet knows that name!" Sun said, "A person who protects both humans and Faunus. A real hero in my book."

"That kid you said cornered you in the ally the other day…that was him."

This caused Sun to almost choke on his drink.

"Cough, cough. What?! I punched Vale's Hometown Hero?!" he asked, "Oh man! Every Faunus in the world is going to hate me for this!"

"Calm down." Blake said, "I'm sure he didn't take it seriously. Also, are you familiar with the White Fang?"

"Of course." Sun replied, his tone turning from fearful to serious, "I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet that hasn't heard about them. Stupid, holier than thou, creeps that use force to get whatever they want. Bunch of freaks if you ask me."

"I was once a member of the White Fang." This revelation caused Sun to choke on his drink a second time.

"Wait a minute! You were a member of the White Fang?!"

"That's right. I was a member for most of my life, actually. You could almost say I was born into it. Back then, things were different. In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between humans and the Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings, and so the White Fang rose up, as the voice of our people, and I was there. I was at the front of every rally. I took part in every boycott. I actually thought we were making a difference, but I was just a youthful optimist.

"Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one took his place. A new leader with a new way of thinking. Suddenly, our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks. They were setting fire to shops that refused serve us. Hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labor, and the worst part was it was working. We were being treated like equals, but not out of respect, out of fear.

"So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead I would dedicate my life to becoming a huntress. So, here I am. A criminal hiding in plain view, all with the help of a little, black bow."

"So, have you told your friends any of this?"

* * *

Ruby and Yang were calling Blake's name while Theodore was using a telescope to search the rooftops. Since Blake was a cat Faunus, she would like to be in high places. Weiss was doing absolutely nothing to help and it was really starting to make Theodore mad. It seemed Ruby caught on to that as well. She stopped walking and turned to the heiress.

"Weiss, you're not helping." She said.

"Oh, you know who might be able to help?" Weiss asked, "The police."

"Weiss." Ruby growled.

"It was just an idea."

"Yeah, a bad one." Theodore added.

"Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions." Yang suggested.

"I think when we hear it, you'll all realize I was right." Weiss said.

"I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today." Another voice said. This caused all for students to quickly turn with surprised looks on their faces. Theodore saw it was a girl Ruby's height. She had short, orange hair with a green bow on the back. Her eyes were a light, jade color. Her wardrobe consisted of a long sleeved white shirt with greyish overalls, in the form of a short dress, with green outlines on them. She had a black and green colored long collar on her neck. She looked to have black, green outlined jeans that nearly covered her black sneakers.

"AAAAH! Penny, where did you come from?!" Ruby asked after screaming. Theodore looked at the girl, named Penny, wondering if he missed something. He then realized he reunited with the girls, two days ago, after he lost track of the monkey Faunus. They must have run into her and he didn't get the chance to meet her.

"Hey guys." Penny said with a smile on her face. She then took notice of Theodore. "Who's your friend?"

"Hi. I'm Theodore Constantine." Theodore said, holding out his left hand for her to shake. Penny had a surprised look on her face before it turned to excitement. She immediately took his hand and started shaking it like crazy.

"OH, MY GOODNESS!" she squealed, "VALE'S HOMETOWN HERO! IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU!"

"Pleasure to meet you too." Theodore replied while trying to keep his balance, "Now, could you please release my arm before it falls off?"

Penny immediately released his arm after hearing his request. Theodore checked to make sure nothing was broken. The girl had a strong grip, for someone so short.

"So, what are you guys up to?" Penny asked.

"Uhhhhh," Ruby said.

"We're looking for our friend, Blake." Yang said for her little sister.

"Ohhhh." Penny replied, "You mean the Faunus girl."

"Wait. How did you know that?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, the cat ears." Penny answered.

"What cat ears?" Yang asked, "She wears a…bow." Realization dawned on the three girls as to how Blake hid her heritage. Theodore already knew that secret. He just waited for them to finally say something after they figured it out.

"She does like tuna a lot." Ruby whispered to Yang.

"So, where is she?" Penny asked.

"That's the problem." Theodore answered, "We don't know."

"She's been missing since Friday." Ruby added.

"That's terrible." Penny said, walking up to the young huntress in training, "Well, don't you worry, Ruby, my friend. I won't rest until we find your teammate."

"Ah, that's really nice of you Penny, but we're- "

"We could actually use all the help we can get." Theodore interrupted.

"But Theodore- "Ruby tried to retort but saw that the other three were already gone.

"It sure is windy today." Penny said after five seconds of silence.

* * *

Blake and Sun walked down the streets of Vale wondering what to do. Well, it was Sun wondering what to do. Blake was just being silent, either not thinking of anything at all or figuring out how to apologize to Theodore for not listening to him.

"So, what the plan now?" Sun asked.

"I still don't believe the White Fang is behind these robberies." Blake finally voiced her thoughts, "They've never needed that much dust before."

"What if they did? I mean, the only way to prove that they didn't do it is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it and not find them there. Right?"

"The only thing is, I have no idea where that would be."

"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about off loading a huge shipment of dust coming in from Atlas."

"How huge?"

"Huge. Big Schnee Company freighter."

"You sure?"

* * *

Theodore waited outside for Weiss and Yang to exit the store. Yang was asking people around the city if they had seen Blake. Sadly, the search was coming out emptyhanded. So far, no one had seen her. When the two girls finally exited the store, Theodore could tell that they had gotten nothing, again.

"Thanks anyways." Yang said to the store owner as the door closed. The sad look on her face told Theodore everything. "This is hopeless." Yang then turned her attention to Weiss. "You really don't care if we find her, do you?"

"Don't be stupid." Weiss answered, "Of course I do. I'm just afraid of what she'll say when we find her. The innocent never run Yang."

"Maybe she had no choice, Weiss." Theodore said, "Blake was probably afraid that only I would believe her."

"What would you know about- "that's when it dawned on the heiress. "You knew her secret, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Because it wasn't my secret to tell! I urged her to tell you guys, but she wouldn't listen, and now this happened."

"You're taking her side?!"

"Yes, I am."

"How could you be OK with what happened to my family?! With what the Faunus are doing to humanity?!"

Theodore's patience had finally reached its limit. He shoved his telescope into Yang's hands and walked up to Weiss. _I'm gonna regret this._ He thought to himself. Yang was expecting him to give her a lecture, but she was wrong. Quicker than she could have guessed, Yang saw Theodore slap Weiss in her left cheek with his right hand. Weiss looked up at him with surprise written all over her face, while holding her injured cheek.

"You and others being discernment towards the Faunus is what makes me want to puke!" he stated with anger written all over his face, "It's this kind of behavior that gives the White Fang a reason to hurt humans! I am sick and tired of seeing how you're treating the situation! You're acting as if we were trying to befriend a Grimm!"

"How dare you- "

"SHUT UP! Have you ever talked to the Faunus that work for your dad?! Have you asked them how well he pays them?! You would be surprised at the answer! They nearly die during their work and they only get enough money to pay for three days' worth of food! The majority of the White Fang come from working conditions like those! It's people like your father that bring out the worst in Faunus! I thought you were different from your father Weiss! I thought you were better than him! I even tried to convince Blake of what I thought about you! Looks like I was wrong."

Weiss could only stare at Theodore in horror at the truth of his words. She was acting, exactly like her father. Blaming all the Faunus in the world for the problems the White Fang created. It may have costed her the friendship she had with Blake. With a scowl still on his face, Theodore walked away from Weiss towards Yang. He retrieved his telescope and continued to walk.

"I'm going on my own to search for Blake." He said to them, "Don't follow me."

He continued to walk until he was out of site. He leaned against a wall and took a few breaths to calm himself down. He knew he would need to apologize to Weiss when this was all over. Sure, she needed a reality check, but he didn't need to slap her for it. Before he could continue his way, his scroll started to go off. Pulling it out of his pocket, he checked the number and then answered it.

"Hello?" he said and listened, "What? Where? The docks? OK, I'm on my way."

* * *

Theodore then hung up his scroll, placed it in his pocket and dashed towards the docks.

Nighttime had fallen onto Vale. Blake was hiding on a roof, waiting for Sun to return. The Schnee Dust Company cargo had been unloaded, and so far, no one had shown up. She was hoping that it was just Torchwick or another criminal just stealing dust, and not the White Fang.

"Did I miss anything?" Someone said. Blake turned to her right to see Sun land right next her, holding a bunch of apples in his arms.

"Not really." She answered, "They've off loaded all the crates from the boat, now they're just sitting there."

"Cool. I stole you some food." Sun said, offering her one of the apples.

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" Blake asked, "Theodore is going to get you for that."

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun asked back, which earned him a glare from Blake. "Okay. Too soon."

Both Faunus then felt a rush of air, accompanied with the sound of an engine. Looking up, they saw a bullhead shining a light on the docks. It stayed airborne for a little while before landing. Its doors opened, and out stepped a figure dressed in black and white, accompanied with a mask. On the back of his shirt was a symbol. It was red, with the face of an animal, with three claw marks behind it.

"Oh no." Blake said, knowing that symbol all too well. The symbol of the White Fang.

"Is that them?" Sun asked.

"Yes, it's them."

"Alright, grab the tow cables." A member commanded as three more exited the ship.

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked.

"No, I think deep down I knew." Blake answered with a sad look, "I just didn't want to be right."

"Hey! What's the holdup?!" shouted another voice. Blake looked to where it came from and was surprised to see Roman Torchwick step out of the ship. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment. So, why don't you animals try to pick up the pace before Vale's Hometown Hero shows up?"

"This isn't right." Blake stated while standing up and unsheathing her sword, Gambol Shroud, "The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that."

"Hey! What're you doing?!" Sun asked right as Blake jumped from the roof. She stealthily snuck to were Torchwick was. He saw him conversing with a member who was holding a small tow cable.

"No, you idiot." Torchwick said to him, "This isn't a leash."

Roman was getting more nervous by the second. Any moment, Theodore could show up and foil their plans. He was hoping that these White Fang soldiers would work fast. Sadly, they weren't equipped for doing thing like this. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a blade to his throat.

"What the- "he said in surprise. He knew it wasn't Theodore, because the boy wouldn't sneak up on him. He would always make his presence known, just in case there were any civilians in the area. It would give them a chance to run. "Oh for- "

"Nobody move!" Blake ordered, causing the members of the White Fang to halt in their tracks. They had their weapons in hand, but could do nothing as their supposed leader was near deaths door.

"Whoa. Take it easy there, little lady." Torchwick suggested to Blake. The Faunus girl, hoping to talk the White Fang out of what they were doing, removed her bow from her head. Under them were two black cat ears. The members of the White Fang lowered their weapons in surprise seeing that a fellow Faunus was holding Torchwick hostage.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" she said, "Why are you aiding this scum?!"

"Heh, heh, oh kid." Torchwick chuckled, "Didn't you get the memo?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The White Fang and I are going in on joint business venture together."

"Tell me what it is, or I'll put an end to your little operation."

She backed up her threat by pushing her blade closer to his throat. It wasn't enough to make him bleed, but enough to get the point through. She was surprised when she heard another bullhead fly over.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a little operation!" Torchwick said over the roar of the engines. Blake looked up to see two more bullheads over the docks. She knew exactly what they were going to do and only hoped that Theodore would arrive in time to help. The little distraction was all Torchwick needed to escape from her grasp. Using his gun cane, he caused an explosion that made Blake fly a few feet away from him.

Blake was fine, but was angry at herself for not making sure he couldn't use his weapon. She had no time to think about that though as multiple shots were being fired at her. She dodged most of them by herself, but used her semblance on the last one to take cover. Torchwick slowly walked to where she was hiding to see if he could take her by surprise.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." Torchwick said in a threating manner. He was interrupted as a banana fell onto his hat. Letting out a growl, he looked to see where it came from only to be met with a pair of sneakers to his face. He was knocked to the ground as Sun jumped off him and made a perfect landing a few feet from him. He turned around to face Torchwick with a scowl on his face.

"Leave her alone." Sun said, waiting for Torchwick to get up. He got, instead, seven White Fang members jumping from the second bullhead to the ground. Torchwick had gotten up and was not happy.

"You are not the brightest banana in the bunch, are you kid?" Torchwick asked. The White Fang goons then charged at Sun, expecting to take him down in less than five seconds. They were wrong. Sun fought back with the monkey style of Kung Fu, before pulling out his weapon. A red and gold collapsible bow staff. The White Fang soldiers went down like dominoes to Sun's attacks. Seeing that the men were down, Roman shot at Sun, not expecting the monkey Faunus to block his shot.

"He's mine!" Blake said to Sun, jumping out of the smoke. She hoped to take Roman down easily, but got more than she bargained for as he blocked all her moves with ease. Even with her semblance, the robber was able to punch her away from him. His victory was short lived as Sun jumped into battle. His staff split in half and became two set of shotguns chained together. Torchwick blocked those attacks with ease as well, but didn't expect Blake to get a hit on him and send him flying ten feet away from them.

Torchwick saw a crate being suspended in midair and got an idea. He got up, took aim, and shot the cables holding the crate, causing it to nearly fall on the two Faunus. Both dodged just in time, but Sun was stuck in the spot he rolled into when he saw Roman with his cane to his head. The robber was smiling victoriously as he would be able to at least off one Faunus for the night.

"HEY!" someone shouted. Turning to where it came from, Roman saw Ruby, or Red as he called her, on a roof with her scythe activated.

"Well, hello Red." Torchwick greeted, ignoring Sun. "Isn't it past your bed time?"

"Ruby, are these people yours friends?" Penny asked walking up to her.

"Penny, get back!" Ruby said, out of fear that she might get hurt. Torchwick took this chance to fire a shot at Ruby. What he didn't expect was for Theodore to step in and push Ruby out of the way, taking the shot full force. Theodore was thrown back a few feet and was rendered unconscious.

"Theodore!" Ruby exclaimed, running to Theodore's side. Kneeling, to check on him, Ruby put her ear to his chest to see if his heart was still beating. Seeing that it was, Ruby let out a sigh of relief. She heard Torchwick in the background laughing at what he did. She was about to jump into the fray when she saw Penny walk right past her and towards the battle.

"Penny, wait! Stop!" Ruby shouted, afraid of what might happen to her friend.

"Don't worry, Ruby." Penny said without turning around, "I'm combat ready."

What looked like a backpack on Penny's back opened to reveal a floating sword. However, the weapon had a set with it. Nine more swords revealed themselves, making it a set of ten swords. Penny jumped from the building and started to engage the enemy. She was easily over powering them, sending them flying left and right. She controlled the swords as if she was telekinetic.

Three more bullheads came in and started to shoot at Penny. Two more swords came out of her back and launched themselves at the building behind her. If you looked carefully, transparent strings were attached to the weapons and Penny. She was pulled to the building, away from the firing bullheads. Once she was out of harms way, her then swords became guns and started spinning in a circular motion. A ball of energy started to build up and five seconds later a giant beam was shot into the sky, taking down two of the three bullheads. Ruby stood on the roof, shocked at what she was seeing. Penny had taken down a miniature army and two ships all by herself. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a groan. Turning around, she saw Theodore waking up.

"Did anyone get the number of that bus?" Theodore asked while sitting up and holding his head. He was about to stand up when he was tackled back to the ground from Ruby giving him a bone crushing hug.

"Theodore! You're OK!" She said.

"Yeah, Ruby." He answered with a smile, "Hey, where's Penny?"

Ruby was about to answer him when they saw a bullhead trying to get away with a shipment of Schnee Dust Company cargo. Penny used six of her ten swords to latch onto the ship. She then started to walk backwards and appeared to be pulling the ship back.

"How is she doing that?" Ruby asked.

"I was about to ask you the same question." Theodore replied. His attention was, however, torn from Penny to Torchwick who was attempting to get away.

"Oh, no you don't!" Theodore stated and jumped down from the building. Once his feet touched the ground, he sprinted to where the bullhead was grounded and saw Torchwick get into the bullhead and close door. While picking up speed, he saw Penny give a big tug and pulled her bullhead into the other crates. He didn't time to be amazed, though because Roman Torchwick was trying to get away. Theodore came to a stop as the bullhead carrying the robber started to fly away. Looking around, Theodore only saw a bunch of crates. Knowing what he had to do, even if it meant all of Vale finding out. So, taking a stance, Theodore stretched his right hand out and shouted some odd words that got Penny's, Blake's, Sun's, and Ruby's attention.

"Tranfigure cratemos in formetesan!" he shouted as his hand started to glow a bright yellow. Five empty crates around Theodore floated in the air and melted into liquid. All five liquids then merged together and formed into a harpoon gun. Theodore then walked up to the newly made harpoon gun, took aim, and fired. The harpoon reached its target and latched onto the bullhead. He then pulled a lever and the ship was being towed back into the docks. The door opened to see a very surprised Torchwick looking at Theodore.

"I DIDN'T SAY YOU COULD LEAVE!" Theodore shouted to Torchwick, waiting for the bullhead to finally touch the ground. Roman, however, had other plans. Pulling a dust crystal out of his pocket, threw to the gun, and fired with his cane. The resulting explosion destroyed the harpoon gun, letting the bullhead start to fly away.

"CLOSE BY NO CIGAR, CANESTONTIEN!" Torchwick shouted and started to laugh. He stopped, however, when he saw Theodore make a fireball appear in his hand. He then threw it at Roman, who was blown into the other door upon impact. The bullhead then flew out of sight.

Theodore let out a growl of annoyance. He was so close to catching Torchwick and he got away, again. He turned around to walk back to the others only to come face to face with them. Sun, Blake, Ruby, and Penny all had looks of surprise on their faces. After ten seconds of silence, Ruby walked up to Theodore and asked him what everyone else was thinking.

"How did you do that?" Ruby asked.

"I would love to tell you Ruby," Theodore answered, "but let's wait for the rest of your team, then we'll head back to Beacon, meet with all the professors and then I'll tell you. I promise."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The Vale police had finally arrived to check on the situation. The White Fang members had gotten away, as well as Roman Torchwick, but none of the dust was stolen. Theodore, Ruby, Sun, Blake (who had put the bow back on), and Penny were sitting on boxes, passing the time. Blake had finally to him and Ruby what most of her life was like and the story was accepted with smiles. She expected this from Theodore but not from Ruby. Either way, she was happy to not be pushed away. Now, she just had to wait for the remaining two members, so she could explain things to them. Hearing footsteps come their way, they turned to see Yang and Weiss walking towards them.

"Look, Weiss, it's not what you think." Ruby said walking up to Weiss who just past her to confront Blake, "She explained the whole thing. You see, she doesn't actually wear a bow. She has cat ears, and they're actually kind of cute."

"Weiss, I want you to know that I'm no longer associated with the White Fang." Blake said, "Back when I was with them- "

"Stop." Weiss interrupted, "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you? Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this, and in that twelve hours, I've decided…"

Everyone waited worriedly for what Weiss was going to say.

"I don't care."

"You don't care?" Blake asked.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No. I-I haven't been since I was younger- "

"Hup-up-up-up-up! I don't want to hear it. All I want to know is that the next time something this big comes up…you'll come to your teammates, and not some…someone else."

Blake wiped away a tear that tried to fall before answering.

"Of course." That answer put a smile on everyone's faces.

"Yes!" Ruby shouted jumping up and down, "Team RWBY is back together!"

Everyone got together in a circle to talk.

"I'm still not quite sure how I feel about you!" Weiss said pointing at Sun. She got a nervous laugh as an answer from him. That's when Ruby noticed someone missing.

"Hey, wait a minute." Ruby said looking around, "Where's Penny?"

Everyone looked around to see that Penny was indeed gone.

"She probably went home while we weren't looking, Ruby." Theodore answered, "I'm sure she's fine."

"Mr. Constantine!" Sun exclaimed getting Theodore's attention, "I am so, so sorry for punching you! If I had known- "

"It's OK pal. You had every right to punch me. I mean, come on, a guy dressed mostly in black, cornering you in an ally, that's pretty suspicious."

"I'm surprised how well your taking this."

"What I probably should've said to you was 'Hi, what is your name?'" Theodore finished holding out his hand to him. Sun gladly shook it while giving him his name.

"Sun Wu Kong. It is an honor to shake your hand."

"Why, thank you Sun. Speaking of apologies," Theodore said letting go of Sun's hand and turning to Weiss, "I owe you one."

"Why do you owe Weiss an apology?" Blake asked.

"Well, I slapped some sense into her about how she was treating the situation, and when I say slap…I mean I actually slapped her."

"Wait, you did what?!" Ruby asked with a shocked expression. Blake's face had the same expression.

"Well, to be honest, I kind of deserved it." Weiss said, "Besides, the pain didn't last long. My aura healed it up."

"Well then, would you girls please follow me?" Theodore asked, "There's something I want to talk to you and the professors about."

* * *

All three professors, Port, Oobleck and Goodwitch waited in Professor Ozpin's office. They were wondering why Theodore had asked them to meet here without giving the full reason. He said they would meet in an hour and it has been 59 minutes.

"He's going to be late." Glynda stated.

"I'm sure he has his reasons, Glynda." Ozpin said, "We'll just have to wait a little longer."

They didn't have to wait long, though. Ozpin was expecting a beeping noise from the elevator, knowing that someone was wanting to come in. Instead, he and the other professors, saw a bright yellow flash of light in front of their eyes. A second later, it transformed into what looked like a ovalis swirl of energy. Team RWBY walked through with surprised looks on their faces with Theodore trailing behind with a smile on his. Once all five students had stepped through, the portal closed and vanished into thin air. All for professors had surprised looks on their faces. Even the ever so calm Ozpin was amazed at what he saw.

"OK." Theodore said, "I'm sure you all have some questions."

"My boy, how did you do that?!" Port asked.

"I guess that's the only question that matters."

Team RWBY turned to him, all wanting answers. Theodore brought his hands up, as if he were asking them for a hand shake. A second later, two balls of fire appeared in his hands. Three of the professors gasped at what they saw, and Blake, Yang, and Weiss stepped back in surprise.

"Woah!" Yang exclaimed, "Is that your semblance?!"

"Well, no Yang." Theodore replied, "What I am doing isn't through aura manipulation or semblance. What I am using to do this…is magic. Real magic."

Everyone in the room was speechless from what they heard. After fifteen seconds of silence, Oobleck started dashing around him, speaking in a very fast manner.

"How is this possible?!" Oobleck said, "Magic isn't real! I-I-I mean, it simply can't be done! There must be a reasonable explanation!"

"Sit." Theodore commanded. A chair appeared out of thin air and Oobleck floated to it. You couldn't see his eyes, but surprise wasn't written all over his face. Theodore then took a deep breath and turned back to the people in front of him, dispelling his flames. The chair Oobleck was sitting in floated next to Ozpin's desk.

"The truth is, I'm not from around here." Theodore said, while waving his hands in a strange manner. A blue glow emitted from his hands and a sphere came into view. The sphere then started to have what looked like land drawn onto it. Everyone guessed that he was making the hologram of a planet with his 'magic.' "When I say that, I mean…I'm not from Remnant. I'm from an entirely different dimension."

At this statement, Ozpin dropped his mug letting it fall to the ground out of surprise.

"This is my home." Theodore continued pointing to the planet, "It's like Remnant, but different in a lot of ways. It also has a different name. It's called Earth. Ruby, when I told you about people who were gifted, I wasn't exaggerating."

Theodore flicked his left hand and multiple lights flew out of his hand. They took the forms of mysterious figures. One looked scary and was standing still. The second was running so fast they couldn't keep track. The third walked up to a ten-story building and lifted it with one hand. Everyone in the room was astounded by what they were seeing. They didn't speak for seven seconds until Ruby finally spoke.

"You said they were heroes." She said, "Is that true?"

"It is Ruby." Theodore answered, "The truth is though, their actual names are superheroes."

"Are you one of them?"

"Yes Ruby, I am. I'm linked to a specific part of humanity called _Homo magi_ , a sub-species of humans with a gift for real magic. Most of them don't have the same gifts as me, but their powerful in their own way. Some use fear as weapon to stop the bad guys. Some can run faster than the speed of sound. Others can lift objects 100,000 times their weight. If you saw these guys in person you would be impressed."

"Why are you finally telling us this instead of before?" Weiss asked.

"Because, before and while here on Remnant, I've made a lot of enemies." Theodore answered, "If anyone knew where I came from, what I could do, a lot of people would've been put in danger. I practiced to not use my magic in public, but after being accepted into Beacon it was getting harder every day. I was afraid of what would happen to the friends I made if my enemies found out about what I could do."

"We appreciate you thinking about the safety of the students," Glynda said, "but can't you just make them vanish or transport them to jail with your 'magic?'"

"I haven't learned those spells yet. If I had, they would be in a prison cell right now. You don't believe me, do you?" Theodore asked. Professor Goodwitch had a surprised look on her face after hearing that question. She did believe him but had to make sure. Before she could say anything else, Ozpin stood up from his chair.

"We do believe you Mr. Constantine," Ozpin said, "It's just a lot to take in. We thank you for trusting us with such a big secret. Rest assured, that this conversation will not leave the school."

"Thank you, Ozpin." Theodore said then looked to Team RWBY, "Can I trust you guys with this secret?"

The four huntresses in training looked at each other for ten seconds before looking back to Theodore with smiles on their faces.

"Of course, you can!" Yang exclaimed.

"It would be our pleasure." Weiss stated.

"We'd be happy to." Blake said.

"We promise no one outside of Beacon will find out, unless you say so!" Ruby added.

"Thank you." He said looking around the room, "Thank you, all. As payment for your help, before the start of the next semester, I would like to perform a magic show for everyone, student and teacher."

Ruby perked up at the mention of a magic show. Even Weiss as excited to hear about him doing one.

"If that is all Mr. Constantine," Ozpin said, "you and Team RWBY may leave now."

All five students started walking to the elevator. Once they had reached the door, Theodore pushed the button and five seconds later the door opened. Team RWBY stepped inside, Theodore was about to as well when Ozpin called him.

"Mr. Constantine!" he said, "Thank you again, for trusting us with such a big secret."

Theodore nodded his head with a smile. He then entered the elevator and the doors closed. Ozpin then looked at his scroll to see a message come in from one of his informers.

 _Queen has pawns._ It read, which made Ozpin very disturbed.

 _It seems we will need our hometown hero sooner than we thought._ Ozpin thought to himself.

* * *

Torchwick walked into a warehouse and closed the door behind him. He then walked to a table and place a suitcase on top of it. He let out an aggravated sigh of the events earlier. The robbery was going perfectly until some kids decided to mess it up. On top of the Vale's Hometown Hero displayed some powers he had never seen before and burnt his suit.

 _Things just got a lot more complicated._ He thought to himself. Torchwick was so wrapped in his thoughts, that he didn't hear the door open. He didn't notice until a voice spoke up.

"How very disappointing Roman." The voice said, belonging to that of a woman. Roman turned quickly around being surprised at what he heard. The owner was hiding in the shadows, so he couldn't see her.

"Woah! Ha, ha!" Torchwick exclaimed, "Wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon."

"We were expecting more…from you." She replied.

"H-H-Hey, you were the ones who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White Fang."

The women let out a sinister chuckle, while creating a pillar of fire in her left hand. This allowed Roman to see her golden right eye, shining as bright as the fire in her hand.

"And you will continue to do so." She stated, "We have big plans for you, Roman. All we ask is a little cooperation."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The streets of Vale were busying as usual, especially down one street. The owner of Dust Till Dawn shop just finished hanging up a sign that said _New Re-Opened._ Seeing that it was up the right way, he climbed down the ladder and started towards the door when he bumped into someone.

"Excuse me, sorry." The voice said belong to a girl. She looked to be about 19 who was as tall as Yang. She had green hair that stopped right below her head. Two thin trails of hair were on the back of her head. Her eyes were as red as sapphires. She wore a white and earth green chest plate, suggesting that she was a huntress. She had a dark green fingerless glove on her left hand accompanied with a bracelet. Here pants were also a dark, earth toned green that stopped right below her knees. She wore dark brown high heeled shoes and had two guns strapped behind her waist.

"I'm not really from around here." She said with a sad look, while helping the old man up. After doing that, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, showed it to the owner and asked, "Um, would you mind pointing me in the direction of this shop?"

The owner explained her the way with a smile. She then waved goodbye and walked away. Right as she passed a block she heard a voice.

"I knew you were lost." It said. Turning around she saw it belonged to her traveling partner. He looked to be 19, 6'2" and had dark grey hair. His eyes were as black as the night sky. His wardrobe consisted of dark grey and black short sleeved shirt with a zipper. On his shoulders were small pieces of armor. He even had some from below his elbows all the way to his hands. His pants were dark grey and black was well. His shoes resembled gauntlets with extra ammo on them. He was leaning against the building with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"Mercury," the girl said to the boy, while walking up to him and showing him a wallet full of lien, "I will seriously pay you to shut up."

"That's not your money." The boy named Mercury replied in a matter of fact tone, indicating that the girl wasn't a huntress, but a pickpocket.

"It could be yours for five minutes of silence."

"Hmmmm. No deal."

"Grr. Fine."

The girl then pulled the lien out of the wallet and placed it in her pocket. Then discarded the wallet on the street. Mercury followed closely behind while laughing. The two suspicious characters walked the streets of Vale towards their destination without attracting any unwanted attention. The girl was enjoying the sights while Mercury just wanted to be done with the job and leave.

"So how much farther?" Mercury asked.

"A few blocks." The girl answered.

"Uhh, this place is so dull."

"Meh. I kinda like it. Tall buildings. Diverse culture."

"And nice, dopey people who are easy to pickpocket."

"That's every city." The girl retorted, stopping in her tracks, with her hands on her hips and an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh, Emerald, master thief." Mercury mocked beg, stopping right in front of the girl, named Emerald, "Please don't take my money. I barely have enough to get by."

Emerald just walked by him with an angry look. Mercury just sighed and followed saying, "You're no fun today."

They reached their destination which was a book store titled, _Tukson's Book Trade._ They opened the door, that rang a bell when they entered. Looking around they heard humming coming from the back room. Mercury stopped to look at books while Emerald walked up to the reception counter. She saw a small bell and rang it.

"Be right there." The voice said ceasing its humming. The door behind the desk opened with a large man carrying a pile of books with both hands.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade." the man said while placing the books down and walking up to the counter, "Home to every book under the sun. How may I- "

He let out a surprised gasp at who he saw, but calmed down after a while. The man was about 6'3". He had black hair and sideburns that reach to his chin. His eyes were a sort of bronze in color. He wore a dark red shirt with some black on it. He had dark grey pants on as well.

"How may I help you?" he finished with a smile on his face.

"Just browsing." Mercury said, loudly closing an opened book in his hand.

"Actually, I was wondering." Emerald said, "Do you have any copies of _The Thief and the Butcher_?"

"Yes, we do." The man answered.

"That's great!"

"Would you l-like a copy?"

"No, just wondering." Mercury loudly closing a book caused them both to look at him. The man looked at them both suspiciously, but brought the smile back on his face when Emerald turned back to him.

"Oh, oh." She exclaimed, "What about _Violets Garden_ , in paperback?"

"He's got it, hardback too." Mercury stated holding the opened book.

"Oooh, options are nice."

"Ehh, no pictures." Mercury loudly closed the book, put it down and looked at the man, "Hey, do you have any comics?"

"Near the front." he answered then looked back at Emerald.

"Oh, no wait." She said, "What about… _Third Crusade_?"

"Um…" he answered nervously, "I don't believe we carry that one, though a few copies are on the way."

Mercury loudly closed the book he was looking at while saying 'Oh. Really?'

"What was this place called again?" Emerald asked.

"Tukson's Book Trade." The man answered, the smile no longer on his face, replaced with a scowl.

"And you're Tukson?"

"That's right."

"So, then I take it that you're the one who came up with the catch phrase."

"Yes."

"And what was it again?" Mercury asked earning a sigh from Tukson.

"Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun." Tukson said.

"Except, _The Third Crusade_."

"It's just a catch phrase."

"It's false advertising!"

"The one who made the order for that book said the same thing."

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep, Tukson." Emerald said with a sinister look. Mercury started to black out the windows so that no one could look inside. Tukson was feeling very uncomfortable about the outcome.

"I hear you're planning on leaving, moving all the way to Vacuo." Emerald continued, with all the windows closed and the sound from outside blocked, "Your brothers in the White Fang wouldn't be happy to hear that, and neither are we. You know who we are, don't you?"

"Yes." Tukson answered with a scowl. He then noticed Mercury walking up to Emerald until he was a foot behind her.

"And you know why we're here?"

"Yes."

"So, are you going to fight back?"

The room was silent for three seconds before Tukson answered.

"YES!" he shouted, and his fingernails turned into claws. He then jumped onto the counter and lunged at Emerald. He swiped at her but missed by an inch. He looked up and realized his mistake. He saw Mercury get into a kicking position with those gun boots of his and realized what was going to happen.

 _I'm sorry, Constantine. I won't be able to help you anymore, but I can leave you one last bit of information._ Tukson thought and accepted his fate.

Seeing that their job was done Emerald and Mercury exited the store. The pickpocket looked at the kick boxer and saw him with a comic book of two superheroes.

"What's with that?" she asked.

"Eh, I like the pictures." He answered, and they left the street.

* * *

Beacon cafeteria, where anything can happen as one certain boy puts it. It was full of students who were preparing for the next semester of classes. One Faunus, in particular, wasn't doing so. She was looking over her notes about the White Fang's activities. After the little run in they had, and Theodore's secret being revealed, she need to work twice as hard if the White Fang was going to be stopped.

"Whatcha doin?" Yang asked, causing Blake to have a surprised look and quickly close the book.

"Nothing." She lied, "Just going over notes from last semester."

"Lame." Yang said after catching a grape in her mouth that Nora threw. They all had surprised looks on their faces when Ruby place a book that looked to be a thousand pages long. On it read in red, BEST DAY EVER ACTIVITES! However, on the top was scratched out _Vytal Festival Activities Property of Weiss Schnee_.

"Ahem. Sisters! Friends! Weiss." Ruby started.

"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Fourscore and seven minutes ago, I had a dream."

"This oughta be good." Yang said before catching another grape in her mouth.

"A dream that one day, the four of us would come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had…ever!"

"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss asked.

"I am not a crook." Ruby answered.

"Hey guys! What are you talking about?" Team RWBY heard. They turned to see Theodore in his usual attire with a curious look, plus smile, on his face.

"I'm talking about kicking off this semester with a bang!" Ruby answered.

"I always kick my semesters off with a Yang!" Yang said trying to make a pun and failing. This got her an apple to the face from Nora who was shouting 'BOO!'

"But guys," Ruby said, "It's been a good two weeks, and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great. But, classes start back up tomorrow, which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today!"

"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store." Weiss said. Yang had thrown an apple back at Nora but accidentally hit Ren.

"I don't know." Blake said, "I think I might sit this one out."

"Sit out or not," Weiss added, "I think however we spend this last day, we should do it as a team."

"Speaking of last day," Theodore said, "you all are coming to the magic show I'm performing tonight, right?"

"Of course!" Weiss stated, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I'll be there!" Yang said, "I haven't been to a magic show, so I want to know what it's like."

"I can't wait to see you do more magic tricks!" Ruby exclaimed with excitement.

"I'll try to make it." Blake said then looked to the back of Theodore's trench coat, "Hey, Theodore, is that your symbol?"

"Why, yes, it is." He answered while turning his back to Team RWBY and showing them the symbol he made. It was a yellow star with blue on the inside, two circles with strange symbols in them ( **It's the cover of the story** ). "It's what I've been working on, besides my magic show and telling JNPR my secret."

"I think it looks absolutely- "Weiss didn't get to finish as a pie collided with her face. Everyone looked to Nora who was in a throwing position, started pointing at Ren. Theodore knew exactly where this was going and slowly walked away before it started.

Outside, Sun was walking with someone towards the cafeteria. He was 6'2", had light blue hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with a tie, covered by a dark red, button sweater. He had dark brown, fingerless gloves on his hands. His pants were a navy blue, accompanied with dark grey sneakers. On his head were orange goggles and strapped to his back was a gun.

"Man, that's harsh." He said to Sun.

"So, then we were fighting side by side!" Sun told him, "And she was super-fast, and I threw a banana at a guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome!"

"Nice."

"Right? And the best part is she's a Faunus!" Sun quickly covered his mouth after realizing what he said, "But that's a secret! OK?"

"Got it."

"And not a 'I'm gonna to tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back' secret. I'm talking secret, secret."

"Woah, chill out man OK? I got it. I got it."

"You better. I just don't want to screw this up you know. These people here are the coolest." They just missed Jaune hit the window. "No offense to you guys."

"None taken."

"OK, they're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them, so be cool OK? You're gonna be cool, right?"

"Dude." The boy said stopping in front of him posing. He stood tall, his arms were crossed, and his teeth glistened in the sun when he smiled.

"Good point." Sun replied. Both then entered the cafeteria to see students rushing out of it shouting, 'FOOD FIGHT!'. Sun looked to his left to see Theodore setting up a camera out of twelve around the room. The boy noticed Sun, finished what he was doing and walked up to him.

"Hey, Sun." Theodore said then looked to the other boy, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Theodore Constantine meet my buddy Neptune." Sun introduced, "My buddy Neptune, meet Theodore Constantine."

"Pleasure to meet you, Neptune." Theodore replied holding a hand out to Neptune. The said boy looked at Theodore with a surprised look which turned into a smile and took Theodore's hand and shook it violently.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you!" Neptune said, "To personally meet Vale's Hometown Hero is such an honor!"

"You too, Neptune." Theodore said, seeing if his hand was numb from the shaking. All three-boy's attention was turned to a sinister laughter. They saw Team JNPR on a castle made of tables, with Nora laughing at the tippy top on one end of the cafeteria.

"I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!" she started to sing, "I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!"

"JUSTICE WILL BE SWIFT! JUSTICE WILL BE PAINFUL!" Ruby shouted while crushing a milk carton at the other end of the cafeteria, "IT WILL BE DELICOUS!"

The rest of Team RWBY shouted a battle cry and the food fight started with Nora shouting, 'OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!' All kinds of food were flying ever in the cafeteria. Watermelons, French bread, fruits, vegetables, meat, even drinks were in the mix. Yang was using two cooked turkeys as gauntlets, Blake was using two French bread sticks as swords, and Nora was using a pole with a watermelon skewered to it to make it a hammer.

The fight was intense for the first five minutes before Team RWBY started to lose. Weiss was the first to be taken out of the edible war when she was knocked into a pillar by Nora. Yang was sent through the roof by Nora as well. Blake was sent to the wall when Pyrrha used her semblance to send soda cans flying into the disguised Faunus.

Ruby decided to end the food fight, here and now. Using her semblance, she dashed towards Team JNPR with all manner of food following her in the wind. She picked up speed when she was half way towards them and moved right past them. She then stopped right at the other end of the cafeteria, causing a crater to form in the wall. The resulting wind, following behind her, threw Team JNPR into the wall with the food impacting them as well. Ruby had single handily won the food fight for her team.

"Abstract art." Theodore commented seeing all the food coloring on the wall and on everyone else, "Nice."

"I love these guys." Sun told Neptune, turning to see him with an angry face all covered in purple soda. Theodore, seeing the mess, decided to clean it up. Noticing what happened to Neptune, the young sorcerer waved his left hand and the soda disappeared off him. Theodore then walked to the center of the cafeteria and raised both hands.

"REPERIA FOD COURTE ISTANEINIALE!" he shouted as his hands started to glow blue. All the tables in the room that were overturned or broken came back into the place they belonged in the room and repaired themselves. Even the crater in the wall was fixed and the food leftover was sent to the trash. All the students in the cafeteria, minus Yang, watched in amazement as the cafeteria was repaired.

Once the cafeteria was done being cleaned up, expect the students being covered in food, Theodore heard the door open and turned to see Glynda Goodwitch with an angry look on her face. It changed to surprise when see saw the cafeteria in good condition. Everyone pointed to the Theodore with smiles on his faces.

"Thank you, Mr. Constantine." Glynda said and then turned to the students, "Children, please, do not play with your food."

She got an answer when Nora made a very loud burp, then followed by Yang falling through the roof back into the cafeteria. Everyone started to laugh, even Theodore, causing Glynda to have an angry look on her face again.

"Let it go." Glynda heard a voice say. Turning, she saw it was Ozpin. She let out a sigh before answering back.

"They're supposed to be the defenders of the world." She said.

"They will be," Ozpin answered, "but right now they're still children. So, why not let them play the part? After all, it isn't a roll they'll have forever."

* * *

In a hidden warehouse, White Fang members were moving dust crates out of ships and into the building. Mercury and Emerald walked past them, not even interested in what they were doing. They were only interested in seeing Roman Torchwick, who was looking over his map. He turned around and saw the assassin and the thief.

"Oh, look. She sent the kids again." Roman said, walking behind them and giving them a hug, "This is turning out just like the divorce."

Emerald shivered in disgust before removing herself from his grip. Mercury just removed the arm from around his neck.

"Ugh. Save us the thought of you procreating." Emerald said in disgust.

"That was a joke," Torchwick replied walking in front of them, "and this…just might tell me where you two have been all day."

"What?!" Emerald exclaimed seeing the address paper in Torchwick's hand and not her pockets.

"I'm a professional, sweet heart. Pay attention, maybe you'll learn something." He said holding the paper in air. He then looked at it and his smug look was replaced with a suspicious look that he directed at the two. "Why do you have this address?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emerald asked in a mocking tone. Roman walked back up to them for answers.

"Yeah, I would." He replied, "Now, where have you been all day?"

"Cleaning up your problems." Mercury said, "One of them at least."

"I had that under control."

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise."

"Listen you little punk, I've got enough on my plate as it is without you adding to it. If it were up to me, I would take you and your little street rat friend here and I would- "

"Do what, Roman?" a voice said followed by footsteps that sided like glass. Torchwick, Mercury, and Emerald looked behind and up to see a woman walking towards the elevator. She was Yang's height with black shoulder length hair, some covering her left eye. Her eyes were a sinister gold. Her attire was a red long-sleeved dress that stopped halfway past her thighs, with gold designs on sleeves. Her shoes were black high heels that looked like they were made of glass. Her nails were painted a blood like red.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'd uh…not kill them?" Roman asked nervously as she descended in the elevator.

"Cinder!" Emerald exclaimed in a joyful mood. Cinder ignored her and continued walking towards Torchwick.

"I thought I made it clear that you were to eliminate the would be runaway." Cinder said in a matter of fact tone, stopping a few feet in front of Torchwick.

"I was going to…" Torchwick said trying to defend himself.

"He was going to escape to Vacuo." Emerald said, "Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat."

"I think he was some sort of cat, actually." Mercury said.

"What, like a puma?"

"Yeah, there you go."

"Quiet." Cinder ordered with an angry look. Torchwick started to make gestures, indicating that they were in trouble with their boss. "Did I not, specifically, instruct you two to keep your hands clean while in Vale?"

"I just thought- "Emerald tried to say with a scared look but was interrupted by Cinder.

"Don't think. Obey."

"Yes, ma'am. It won't happen again."

"And you," Cinder said turning back to Torchwick who laughed nervously, "why wasn't this job done sooner?"

Torchwick gave off a small 'uh' before gesturing to all the dust in the warehouse while going, 'Eh? Eh? Eh?!'

"Sorry, if I've been a little busy trying to make sure this warehouse isn't discovered, while trying to steal dust and not get caught at the same time!"

"What're you talking about?" Mercury asked in a mocking tone, "Has a vigilante been stopping your heists or something?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Here, see for yourself. Type in Vale's Hometown Hero and see what comes up."

Torchwick then threw a scroll at the three conspirators, which they caught. Cinder then typed in what the robber said and saw the results of the search. One boy has been protecting Vale for over a year, giving Torchwick a run for his money. She watched a few videos hoping to get some information on the boy, but came up empty handed. She couldn't even see his face, but she at least got his name.

"Theodore Constantine." She said while reading one of the articles, "Interesting."

"Ohhh! So that's how his last name is pronounced!" Torchwick exclaimed, "I don't have to get it wrong every time now."

"Think he'll be a problem?" Emerald asked out of concern. This boy had stopped a lot of people from common thugs to members of the White Fang.

"Don't worry." Cinder said while turning off the scroll and handing it back to Torchwick, "I'm sure we can handle him."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Torchwick said, "Do you know how many people had tried to off this kid and failed? No one can come close to killing him, not even me. I learned that the hard way. So, I just stick to trying to successfully rob dust shops. Speaking of which, if you guys wouldn't mind filling me in on your grandmaster plan, it might actually make my next string of robberies go a little smoother, and lessen the chance of being caught!"

"Oh, Roman, have a little faith." Cinder said while walking up to him and putting her right hand on his left cheek, "You'll know what you need when you need to know."

Her eyes started to glow and Torchwick knew what that meant. She would use her powers to destroy him if her ever stepped out of line. He suddenly thought he would be safer with Theodore Constantine taking him to prison.

"Besides, we're done with dust." Cinder said, removing her hand from his cheek and turning away from him.

"Ooookay. Then what now?" Torchwick asked.

"We're moving." Cinder replied walking to exit the warehouse, "Have the White Fang clear out this building. I'll send you details and coordinates tonight."

"Coordinates?"

Cinder stopped walking and slightly turned so that Torchwick could see her face.

"We're proceeding to phase 2." She said and continued to walk away with her two partners in tow. Torchwick decided to smoke, hoping to get his mind off the events that just happened. When he put the cigar in his mouth, however, he couldn't find his lighter. Hearing the click of his lighter, he looked to see Emerald holding it in her left hand. She stuck her tongue out at him, closed the lighter, and then followed her colleagues out.

* * *

 **AU: Hey everyone. Happy Late New Year! Sorry, for the late update. I'm back in school now so it was a while before I could upload these chapters. Thank you all for your patience and support. I will update as soon as possible in the future, school or no school. Sentinel Prime, out.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Night had fallen on Vale and all the lights a Beacon were off, all except the main hall. Every student and teacher were taking seats in the hall. The stage were the students finished their initiations was redecorated to look colorful and fun. The stage had red curtains on it to signify that a show was about to start. Once everyone had taken their seats, Ozpin stepped onto the stage and faced everyone.

"Good evening everyone." He started, "Tonight, one of our students is going to perform for all of you. To most of you he is a total stranger, to some he is a friend, to Vale he is a hero. So, without further ado, allow me to welcome to the stage, Theodore Constantine."

Ozpin said that last part while gesturing to his left. The lights focused on big puff of black smoke. When the smoke cleared, Theodore stood smiling and waving at everyone in a black and white tuxedo complete with a top hat. The crowed clapped and cheered at seeing this feat. Theodore walked up to Ozpin and shook his hand. The headmaster smiled and then walked off the stage. Everyone finally calmed down so that the young magician could speak.

"Hello everyone!" he said, "I am so happy to see so many faces here tonight. I've got plenty of magic tricks instore for you guys to see, but for my first trick I need a volunteer. Does anyone want to be part of this magic trick?"

Lots of students, mostly girls, raised their hands at the request. Theodore was having a hard time picking so he came up with an idea. He pulled a dice from his pocket and held it in his right hand.

"I'm going to throw this dice to you guys!" he stated, "Whoever catches it will be the one to be apart of this magic trick!"

He casually threw the dice and watched it fly. Lots of girls reached for the dice but missed. It landed in the hands of Blake. She had a surprised look on her face at the predicament. She was hoping to not go up on stage, but nevertheless showed that she caught the dice.

"Ah, Miss Belladonna!" Theodore shouted, "Please, come on up!"

Blake slowly made her way to the stage and stood in front of Theodore with a partial smile on her face. Theodore once again reached into his pocket and pulled a deck of cards out and held them in his right hand.

"In my hand is a deck of cards." He said, "Now, you are going to pick a card and not show is to me. Once you have memorized your card, please put it back in the deck. I will shuffle the deck and see if I found the right card, OK?"

"OK." Blake replied. She picked a card from the deck, looked at it, memorized it, and placed it back without showing Theodore. The magician then proceeded to shuffle the deck with out looking to everyone's amazement, even Blake's. About ten seconds of shuffling he stopped. Theodore then looked a Blake.

"Your card was the queen of spades, right?" he said aloud which earned him a surprised look from Blake.

"Y-yes." She answered causing the crowd to gasp in shock.

"I got it right, but I just can't seem to find it in the deck." While he was still looking, Blake's right human ear felt clogged, so she was using her pinkie finger to try and unclog it. Theodore looked up at her and said, "Oh wait! I remember where it is!"

He then reached over with his left hand and pulled the queen of spades card out of Blake's ear. The disguised Faunus had a look of surprise on her face while everyone just started to clap and cheer. Blake eventually also started to clap with a smile on her face. Theodore then helped her down the stage and back to her seat.

"What kind of a lame trick was that?!" someone in the crowed shouted. Theodore didn't have to ask who said that. He already knew it was Cardin. Turning to where he could see Cardin he shouted to him.

"Since you doubt what I can do Cardin, you can be the volunteer for my next trick." Theodore said. Cardin walked up to the stage with a smirk on his face. Theodore joined on the stage and snapped his fingers. In a puff of blue smoke, a table with a 6'5" box with three compartments and 2.5' saw on it appeared.

"My next trick will be cutting you into three pieces." Theodore stated, "Your head in the top, torso with arms in the middle, and legs in the bottom. Is there anyone in the audience who think that I can't do it?!"

Only three people raised their hands and that was the rest of team CRDL. Theodore then gestured for Cardin to lay in the box. The bully complied and laid himself inside. Theodore then closed the lids and put the locks in place. He then grabbed the saw and started sawing in different sections. Once he was finished he separated the three parts and put them upright on the table. Theodore then opened the doors of each compartment and everyone gasped to see Cardin's head in one, his torso with arms in the middle, and legs at the end.

"What?" Cardin asked to everyone while trying to look around, which was difficult because his head was in the box, "What are you looking at?! I told you he couldn't do it. His tricks are nothing but- "

Cardin didn't get to finish as he felt the box he was in move. He saw both his legs and torso in the other two boxes. His face turned pale at seeing that he was literally in three pieces. Theodore then casually waved his hand and Cardin just vanished getting a surprised gasp from the crowd. Cardin then reappeared in one piece. He started to hug himself, which caused the whole crowd to laugh. The bully quietly marched off the stage with an angry look on his face.

"Now that I have proven the unbeliever wrong," Theodore stated, "who else like to be part of my next trick?"

A lot of people raised their hands at the request. The young magician did the same routine and threw a block of dice into the crowd. This time, it landed into the hands of Ruby Rose who had a smile on her face. She immediately ran up to the stage at full speed, rose petals trailing behind her. She stopped just a few feet in front of Theodore with excitement written all over her face.

"Someone is excited." Theodore said with a smile, "Good evening Miss Rose. Are you ready to participate in this trick?"

"YES! YES! YES!" Ruby screamed with joy.

"Okay. Okay. By the way, did I mention this was a duo participant trick?" Theodore asked while snapping his fingers. In the next moment, Yang appeared in a yellow puff of smoke with surprise written all over her face. The crowd was shocked at what they saw, especially the rest of Team RWBY. Yang had been in her seat one minute and the next she was up on stage.

"Not that I don't mind being part of a magic show," Yang said, "but why am I up here?"

"Because you and your little sister are going to help in this trick." Theodore said while holding his hands out with a napkin on each, "Hidden under each napkin is an object that is part of the trick. You and your sister will remove the napkin, hold each item, and apply both to see what happens."

Yang and Ruby looked at each other with puzzled looks before looking back at Theodore with looks of determination. Ruby reached for Theodore's right hand while Yang reached for his left. Both girls removed the napkins from his hands and saw the objects. In Theodore's left were two small seed and in his right were two small glasses of water.

"I'm guessing you both figured out what to do?" Theodore asked with an encouraging tone. Ruby and Yang both nodded at him with smiles on their faces. Both girls took a cup and seed in one hand each. Once they had, Ruby and Yang placed the seeds in the cups at the same time. When the seeds reached the bottoms of the cups, yellow and red smoke exploded at the same time. When the smoke cleared, instead of cups with water and seeds in them, the two sisters were holding a bouquet of flowers in their hands. Yang had yellow lily's while Ruby was holding red roses. Both girls had surprised looks on their faces while the crowd was cheering and clapping like crazy.

"Weren't expecting that were you?" Theodore asked with a smile. Ruby and Yang just shook their heads. They were about to walk off the stage when the young magician stopped them with a raised hand. He bent down and picked up a red rose from the floor of the stage. Ruby realized she mush have dropped it while she was turning to walk off stage. She was expecting Theodore to place the rose with the others but was surprised to see him place the flower in her hair.

"You're just like the flower. A beautiful rose." Theodore commented to Ruby. This caused the young huntress in training to blush and hide her face behind the roses. Her older sister, however, gave Theodore a menacing look with her eyes turning from iliac to red. Theodore raised his hands in a surrendering matter saying, 'It was just a compliment.' This caused the crowd to laugh, even Yang laughed. Both sisters walked off the stage with their flowers and smiles on their faces.

"Okay. Now that the awkward situation is over," Theodore addressed the crowd making everyone laugh again, "I can move on to my next trick. For this one, however, I'll need a whole team. Do I have any volunteers?"

More hands were raised at the question. Theodore looked around the room while holding his right hand up while pointing his fore finger at the ceiling.

"All right. I choose," Theodore said, bringing his hand down, pointing at a familiar team, "Team JNPR!"

Hearing their team name called, JNPR walked up onto the stage with smiles on their faces. Theodore turned to them with a box of eggs in his hands.

"I want each of you to take two eggs." He told them, "When you do, I will take off my hat. I want you to place the eggs in the hat, and out of the hat will come a surprise. Understand?"

Team JNPR nodded their heads in understanding. Each of them took two eggs as they were told. Once they had the eggs in their hands, Theodore removed his hat and held it to them in his right hand, with the opening facing up. All four members put the eggs in the hat one person at a time, in the order of Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora. Once the eggs were in, Theodore waved his left hand over it five times and then did something unexpected. He raised his right hand, made it a fist, and drove it into the hat, crushing the eggs.

Everyone heard the crunching sounds and thought the worst. That Theodore had messed up on his trick. They got a shock, though, when the young magician pulled his hand out. Instead of broken eggs on his hand, he held a 5x1 ft. claymore sword in his hand causing everyone to gasp, even Team JNPR. He then handed the sword to Jaune while saying 'This is for you.' The knight reached for the hilt of the sword and grabbed it. Once Theodore let go, the weight of the weapon, being 130 lb., nearly made Jaune fall on his face. Everyone laughed at what happened, even the rest of Team JNPR. Once Jaune got a firm grip, he hoisted the sword over his shoulder and walked off the stage, back to his seat with the rest of the team following. Before he left, he said a small 'Thank you' to Theodore. Everyone clapped once again after seeing the feat.

"Surprises can happen in the most unexpected ways." Theodore said to the crowd while putting his hat back on his head.

* * *

Theodore did many more tricks for the next hour, getting many more applause from the crowd. After his next trick, he pulled the sleeve on his left arm to look at his watch. After seeing the time, he addressed the crowd.

"Everyone, I'm sorry to say but it is time for the show to end." Theodore said, earning a sad 'aww' from the crowd, "I know. It's sad, but before I exit the stage, I would like to do one final trick for you all."

Theodore started to wave his hand that emitted a blue glow. A thousand small lights that looked like fireflies started flying around at very fast speeds. They then came into one location, over Theodore's head. Those lights created an image of Beacon academy for ten seconds before erupting into miniature fireworks.

Everyone clapped and cheered at this amazing feat. Theodore took one more bow before taking a long cloth and waving it around himself. The cloth fell to the floor and the young magician had vanished. Once the cheering and clapping had died down everyone left their seats and started for their dorms, wondering where the young magician had vanished to.

* * *

Theodore walked alone to his dorm with his hat in his left hand. He was just about to open his door when he heard a voice.

"Your show was very impressive." Said the voice of Professor Ozpin. Theodore turned to see the headmaster with a smile on his face. "My favorite was when you did the card trick on Miss Belladonna. I seen many versions of that trick, but never done with real magic. Tell me, how did you get all of those lights into the room?"

"A good magician never reveals his secrets. Good night, Professor." Theodore replied with a smile of his own. He then entered his room to turn in for the night.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Beacon could be considered a beautiful place, if it weren't for all the bullheads blocking the view while descending upon the landing docks and flying around the land. They weren't just any bullheads though. They were Alatien Military bullheads straight from Atlas transporting both solders and students. In the headmaster's office, at the top of Beacon tower, Ozpin and Glynda watched as the bullheads flew and landed. While the headmaster had a neutral look on his face, the combat teacher had an angry one with her arms crossed.

"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels." Glynda said in an angry tone.

"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man," Ozpin replied, "but, yes, those are a bit of an eye sore."

A beeping went off on Ozpin's desk, signaling that someone was in the elevator, waiting for his permission to enter.

"Come in." Ozpin said to whoever was in the elevator. When the doors opened, a man about 6'3" ft., who looked to be in either his late 40's to early 50's, walked out. He had black hair that turned white at his sideburns and blue eyes, with a band-aid over his right. His attire consisted mostly of white. He wore a white, long sleeved shirt reached half way past his thighs and had black outlines. Under the long sleeve he wore blue, black and white vested button down with a red tie. On his right hand he wore a white glove. His pants were also white while his boots were silver and grey. Some of the buttons and straps on his clothes signified that he was in the military. This was General James Ironwood, head of the Atlas Military.

"Ozpin!" James called out in a cheerful way.

"Hello, General." Ozpin replied standing a few feet for the general while standing erect.

"Please drop the formalities." The general replied while shaking Ozpin's hand, "It's been to long. And Glynda, it has certainly been to long since we last met."

"Oh, James." Glynda said in a mock flattery tone, which became angry when she looked at Ozpin, "I'll be outside." The combat teacher then made her exit.

"Well she hasn't changed a bit."

"So," Ozpin started while walking back to his desk and pouring a cup of coffee and offering it to the general, "what in the world has brought all the way down from Atlas? Headmaster's don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal Festival."

"Well you know how much I love Vale this time of year." Ironwood replied while accepting the mug. Holding it in his right hand, he reached into his coat with his left and pulled out a small cylinder. He poured some of its contents into the coffee to make taste better. "Besides, with you hosting, I thought this might be a good opportunity for us to…catch up."

"I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends," Ozpin said while sitting back down at his desk and pouring his own cup, "however, the small fleet outside my window has me somewhat concerned."

"Well…concern is what brought them here."

"I understand that travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult- "

"Oz, you and I both know why I brought those men."

Ozpin took a small sip of his coffee and placed it on his desk while letting out a sigh.

"We are in a time of peace." Ozpin said to James, "Shows of power like this…are just going to give off the wrong impression."

"But if what Qrow said is true then- "

"If what Qrow said it true then we will handle it tactfully. It's the Vytal Festival. A time to celebrate unity and peace. So, I suggest you not scare anyone by transporting hundreds of soldiers' half-way across the continent."

"I'm just being cautious." The general replied, his mug no longer in his hand but on Ozpin's desk.

"As am I. Which is why we will continue to train the best huntsman and huntresses we can."

"Believe me, I am." The general turned to leave. When he took a few steps though, he stopped and turned to Ozpin, "But ask yourself this. Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?"

With that said, General Ironwood walked into the elevator.

"I hope they never have to." Ozpin said to the now departed general.

* * *

In the library, were most of the students were studying, Team RWBY was playing a board game that closely resembled Risk. Well, it was most Ruby and Yang who were playing. Weiss looked like she had no idea what she was doing, and Blake didn't look interested.

On another table, Team JNPR were studying. Well, that couldn't be said for Jaune and Nora. The blond knight was reading a comic book while the energetic one was talking a nap on the book Ren was reading. Pyrrha cleared her throat to get Jaune's attention and switched his comic out with a library book.

Theodore walked into the library with five books in his hands to read. While looking to find a place to both sit and place his books, he barely dodged an incoming projectile which was a game piece. He looked to the source to see Ruby with a defeated look on her face and Yang with a victorious one.

"Hey, civilian caught in the crossfire over here." He joked. Team RWBY turned to see him walking towards them. "Do you guys know a place where I can put these?"

"Sure, just put them next to Blake." Yang said. Theodore did just that and gently place his books down next to the disguised cat Faunus. He then looked at the board game in the curiosity.

"What game is this?" he asked, looking at Weiss.

"You're asking the wrong person," she replied, "because I have absolutely no idea what's going on."

"It's a game where you battle to conquer all of Vale." Ruby said with a defeated look gone and a smile on her face, "You start as one of the four kingdoms and work your way up."

"Nice." Theodore replied, "Reminds of another I played with my friends back on Earth. It had a different named, Risk. After this game, can I have a go?"

"You can take my place if you wish." Blake said holding the cards to him, "I lost interest and I don't think I'll last long against Yang."

"If you say so, Blake. By the way, I've noticed the past few days that- "he didn't get to finish as he felt sick at his stomach. He placed his left hand their while his right was on the table for support and let out a groan. "Not again."

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked with concern.

"I don't think that mac and cheese with a hot dog agreed with my stomach. I'll be right back." He said. Before going, he took the games manual to learn how to play it while rushing towards the bathroom.

"Hey guys. How goes the battle?" Jaune asked while walking up to Team RWBY.

"Yang's winning." Weiss asked, "You think Theodore is still keeping secrets from us?"

"Weiss, why would you ask that?" Yang said in an accusing tone.

"Yeah, why?" Ruby chimed in.

"It's just that he never really told us a few things like how he got here or why he hardly talks about his father."

"Probably because those are personal matters." Blake said, "I'm sure he'll get around to them sooner or later." She then looked at Theodore's collection of books and saw one, at the very bottom, that looked out of place. Carefully, she pulled it out of the stack and saw that it was written in a language she didn't recognize. While everyone continued to talk, she looked through the pages to see if she could make sense of what she was trying to read.

"Think I can join you guys when Theodore enters the fray?" Jaune asked.

"I'm not sure about that." Weiss answered, "This game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess."

"You attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago." Yang said earning an angry groan from the young heiress.

"Bring it on, Ice Queen." Jaune said, "I'll have you know that I've been told I'm a natural born leader."

"By whom, your mother?" Weiss asked.

"And Pyrrha, along with Theodore. By the way, where did he go?"

"To the bathroom." Blake answered, "He wasn't feeling to good after eating something."

"I know how that feels. Come on, I been trusted with way more important stuff, like how Theodore has the gift to- "

"Make people smile and laugh." Pyrrha interrupted while covering Jaune's mouth. The blond knight realized what he was about to reveal and blushed out of embarrassment.

"Sup losers?" said a voice. Everyone turned to see Sun with a newcomer to Beacon.

"Hey Sun." Ruby greeted.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake…Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone, except Theodore, keep calling me that?" Weiss asked.

"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun said while gesturing to Neptune.

"Uh, aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune asked.

"Thank you!" Ren nearly shouted.

"Pancakes!" Nora exclaimed, being woken up from her nap.

"Shut up. Don't be a nerd." Sun said to Neptune.

"Gi, gi, gi, gi! Intellectual, okay? Thank you." Neptune said then turned to everyone, "I'm Neptune."

"So, Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked with interest.

"Haven." The boy replied while walking up next to Weiss, "And I don't believe I've caught your name, Snow Angel."

"Um, I'm Weiss." She said with flatter in her voice.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"I never took you as the board game playing type." Sun said to Blake, trying to start a conversation with her. He then noticed the book she was looking at. "What are you reading?"

"I…have no idea." Blake replied, "It's just some strange symbols and words written in a language I've never seen before. Look at this. _Snoweis fos nietra, ins frass babiniras._ "

Right as Blake finished the sentence, the book started to glow white and in the next minute snow started to fall in the library. All the other students had left, so it was only Team RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Neptune witnessing what was happening. All of them had surprised looks on the faces. Hoping to undo what she did, Blake turned the pages of the book and looked for something else. When she found one, she read it.

 _"Sunofes briliantlsyei flasire."_

The snow stopped falling and a miniature sun appeared. Everyone started to smell flowers and looked around to see just that. Grass had grown in the library with all kinds of flowers.

"Oh, oh! My turn! My turn!" Sun exclaimed taking the book and turning through the pages.

"Sun, I'm not sure that is such a good idea." Weiss said with worry.

 _"Rainises dwopruses falleisntes!"_

Clouds covered the library ceiling and it started to rain. Everyone placed their hands or hoods over their heads to keep from getting wet.

"Awesome!" Sun said.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" shouted an annoyed voice. Everyone turned to see a wet and upset Theodore. He snapped his fingers and the rain immediately disappeared, everyone was dry like it never happened. Theodore walked up to Sun with an angry look on his face.

"Th-Theodore, I can explain." Sun said out of fear. Theodore took the book from his hands, closed it and whacked him on the head with it. Since the book consisted of nearly 800 pages, it hurt Sun to a degree since his aura protected him. The monkey Faunus was rubbing his head and was about to talk again but froze when Theodore pointed a finger at him.

"Don't…touch…my spell book." The young sorcerer said and placed it back under his other four books. Blake took the time to stand up and address Theodore.

"It was my fault Theodore." She said, "I was looking through your book without permission and activated one of those spells by mistake."

"It was you?" Theodore asked then looked at Sun, "Sorry, Sun."

"Eh, not your fault." Sun replied with a smile, "I was holding your book and created the rain. Besides, I sort of deserved that smacking from you after what happened back in Vale."

"True. Are you guys done with your game?"

"I am." Blake said, "You can have Vale. See you guys later."

She then walked away from everyone. Concerned looks could be seen from everyone, except Nora.

* * *

Theodore was walking with Sun and Neptune back to the dorms laughing. They just finished their game and Theodore won, total annihilation. Neptune almost won until the young sorcerer made a comeback.

"I've gotta admit." Neptune said, "Your patience won the battle."

"Thanks." Theodore replied, "Hey, I got a joke for both of you. Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" Neptune asked.

"Ach."

"Ach who?" Sun said.

"Gesundheit."

After a few seconds of silence, both boys just started to laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Whoa…that was a good one!" Sun said after calming down as well as Neptune. "See you tomorrow, Theodore!"

With that said, Sun and Neptune walked to their dorm. Theodore was about to enter his dorm when his scroll went off. He pulled it out of his pocket to see that he got a text. When he read it though, his emotion went from happy to shock. It read, _Tukson is dead._ The young sorcerer clenched his scroll tightly out of anger. One of his contacts was killed, under his watch and he didn't even know about it. He went to his contacts and dialed a number. Once it was answered, he spoke in a serious tone.

"I got your message." He said, "Do you know who did it? Alright. I am calling you all in. No more reconnaissance missions, you are coming to Beacon. Call the other two and let them know. It's time to even the playing field."

He then hung up and put away his scroll. He walked down the hall to Team RWBY's dorm. He knew that if he wanted answers he would need more help than he asked for. Just as he was about to knock on their door, he heard them discussing about something, so he placed his ear to the door and listened in.

"You're still thinking about Torchwick?" the voice of Ruby asked.

"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it." Blake's voice said, "Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it."

"Ozpin told us not to worry." Yang added, "Between the police, the huntsman, and our friend Theodore, Vale's Hometown Hero, I'm sure they can handle it."

"Well I'm not! They don't know the White Fang like I do."

 _I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one Blake._ Theodore thought to himself as he continued to listen in.

"OK." Weiss chimed in, "Between blowing up night clubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think you're all ready and apprehend these neredoeles."

"Uh, who?" Ruby asked.

"But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students. We're not ready to handle this sort of situation.

"Well, yeah but heh heh."

"We're not ready!"

"And we may never be ready!" Blake exclaimed, "Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for graduation day. They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move and none of us know what it is but it's coming whether we're ready or not!"

"Okay." Ruby said, "All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to single handedly bring down a corrupt organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale, say Aye."

"Yes!" Yang exclaimed, "I love it when your feisty."

"Well, I suppose it could be fun." Weiss added.

"None of you said Aye." Ruby said.

"Alright then, we're in this together." Blake said.

 _That's my cue._ Theodore thought to himself and opened the door while exclaiming, "Good to know."

All four girls jumped at seeing him barge in the room. Once they had finally calmed down Weiss pointed a finger at him.

"Were you listening to our conversation?!" she asked.

"Guilty as charged." He replied, "I want to help. I'm not going to let you girls do this on your own and I am definitely **not** going to let either one of you get hurt if I have anything to say about it."

"We're all grateful that you want to help Theodore, but- "Blake started before she was interrupted.

"What's up with your beds?" Theodore asked while pointing to their bunk beds. "The set up looks…"

"Awesome?" Yang and Ruby asked at the same time.

"Dangerous. One moment please." Theodore raised both his hands towards the beds and they glowed a light blue. The two top bunks were surrounded by that light, they started to float. The ropes that were holding Ruby's bunks were untied and put away somewhere. The books that held up Yang's bed were also lit and levitated to a book shelf.

The light then faded from blue to yellow. Both bunks were carefully placed on the bottom and all four girls watched in amazement as the legs were somehow molded together. When Theodore finished he put down his hands and the light faded. He then walked up to the bunk beds and shook them to see if they were stable. Seeing that they were he walked back. All four girls had looks of surprise on their faces.

"No fear of it collapsing now." He said.

"Thank you so much!" Weiss exclaimed, "After the safety precaution he just did, I vote he comes with us. He may know some things that we don't."

"That's actually a good reason." Yang said, "OK. I vote he comes with us as well."

"Oh yeah!" Ruby nearly shouted, "We would have Vale's Hometown Hero at our side!"

"As much as I want to disagree, I can't." Blake said, "Theodore, you stopped countless members of the White Fang from doing any harm and were even able to convince them to leave. So, yes, I believe you should join us."

"I would be honored." Theodore replied.

"Let's hatch a plan!" Ruby exclaimed. Yang shouted 'Yeah!' before Ruby had a surprised look on her face. "I left my board game in the library."

"And I left my books." Theodore exclaimed, "Including my spell book!"

"We're doomed." Weiss stated.

Ruby dashed out of the room past Theodore. She went so fast, she caused the young sorcerer to lose balance and fall flat on his face outside of the room.

"I'll be right back!" Ruby told her team and Theodore. She wasn't looking where she was going and bumped into someone. She fell and landed on her rump. She looked up and saw two people she didn't recognize. One was a girl with green hair and red eyes while the other was a boy with grey hair and black eyes.

"Oh man. Sorry." She said, "Are…are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The girl said while holding her hand out to Ruby, "Just watch where you're going."

"Well, right. Sorry." Ruby replied, accepting the hand and being pulled up to her feet. "Um…I'm Ruby. Are you new?"

"Visiting from Haven, actually." Said another voice. The green haired girl moved for another tow walk up next to her. She had long black hair and gold eyes. Ruby looked at the new girl as if she saw her somewhere. She dismissed the idea as quickly as it came.

"Ohh, you're hear for the festival!" Ruby said, "Oh, but exchange students have their own dormitory."

"I guess we just got turned around." The boy said. He then looked up behind Ruby to have a shocked look on his face. He tapped the black-haired girl and pointed to who was behind Ruby. She also got a shocked look on her face and motioned for the green haired girl to look who as well also became shocked. Ruby wondered why they looked so surprised until she looked behind her. She saw Theodore with a smile on his face looking at the three newcomers.

"Oh, I would also like you to meet- "Ruby started before she was interrupted.

"Welcome to Beacon Academy." Theodore said holding out both of his hands to them. The boy and green haired girl looked at his hands for fives seconds before taking them and shaking them. Once they let go, he put his left hand down and held his right to the black-haired girl. She took his hand and shook slowly for five seconds before letting go. Theodore then looked at Ruby.

"Ruby, why don't go get your board game." He suggested, "Don't want anyone to swipe it. I'll show them to the dorms."

"Oh, you're right!" Ruby exclaimed, "Thanks!"

She then dashed off to the library. Seeing that she was gone, Theodore's smile disappeared, and a scowl appeared on his face. It was addressed to the three new students.

"I don't know how you weaseled your way into this school," he said in a threatening tone, "but I'm warning you. If any of my friends, or anyone for that matter gets so much as a paper cut, I will make you wish the police got to you first."

"Why the police?" Cinder asked him in a mocking tone, the shock gone from her face, "Why not Vale's Hometown Hero?"

"Because, witch, I am Vale's Hometown Hero." This caused Cinder to back away in both shock and fear, "I'm Theodore Constantine."

All three were now surprised at what they heard. Theodore just nudged Cinder out of his way to head to the library to retrieve his books. The three infiltrators walked to their respected dorms while talking amongst themselves.

"I can't believe it." Mercury said, "The guy who stopped us and Vale's Hometown Hero are one and the same."

"What do we do?" Emerald asked, "There's no doubt he's going to try and stop us."

"Let him try." Cinder said with a smile on her face, "I always wanted rival to try and stop me. Otherwise everything would just be…too easy. If Theodore Constantine will play the hero, then I will happily play the villain."

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone. Sorry for the late update. School has been a pain and projects have been thrown at me from all sides. I hope these two chapters will be to your expectations. Thank you for your patience and interest. Sentinel Prime, out.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Weiss just sat through Professor Port's class, staring at the clock on her scroll. Everyone agreed when class was done for the day, they would meet up and discuss what to do. It was right now 3:59 and it looked like it was never going to stop.

"You know, Weiss," Theodore whispered, "staring at the clock won't make time go faster."

"Do you have a spell that can?" Weiss asked without looking at him.

"Sadly, no. Wish I did though."

Theodore returned to reading the book on Grimm studies. He looked behind him to see Jaune talking to Pyrrha about something, what he heard made him smile.

"So Pyrrha," he said, "I was thinking after this, we could go grab a bite to eat?"

"I would like that Jaune." Pyrrha replied, "Are we going to do anything else after that?"

 _I always knew those two would get together sooner or later._ Theodore thought, _Unless, Jaune still only sees Pyrrha as a friend. He can be so dense sometimes._

"Yeah, I also got two tickets to the new Spruce Willis movie if you want to make the trip to Vale. I hear it's awesome."

"That would be great. I haven't watched a movie in a while."

 _DID HE SAY SPRUCE WILLIS?!_ Theodore shouted in his mind while covering his mouth to try and contain his laughter.

"And then maybe after that we could come back and study. You know, since we have a test in a few days."

"That's a good idea Jaune. After class?"

"Yeah, after class."

 _Still seeing her as a friend. You are dense, Jaune. I guess that what makes you a fun and lovable guy._

Theodore then heard an alarm go off signifying that class had ended. Professor Port was still speaking until he noticed the time.

"Oh, uh, timed that one wrong I guess." He said, "Well, the stunning conclusion of this story will have to wait. Until next item."

Everyone got up out of there seats and left. Before Theodore left to join Team RWBY, he walked to Team JNPR to talk to Jaune.

"Hey, Jaune!" Theodore called, "I overheard yours and Pyrrha's conversation. Did you say Spruce Willis?"

"Well, yeah." Jaune replied, "Why are you smiling like- "

Theodore couldn't contain his laughter any longer. He fell to his knees laughing his head off. Team JNPR looked at him like he had gone almost insane.

"What's so funny?" Ren asked.

"In my world, ha ha ha ha ha…" Theodore said through laughs, "There is an actor with almost the same name, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Except, it's...BRUCE WILLIS! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Theodore just burst into another fit of laughter. After laughing for almost three minutes, he was finally able to calm down enough to stand. Theodore then walked to his dorm to grab some things before he left with Team RWBY on their mission.

* * *

Team RWBY had just finished getting dressed for the task at hand. Ruby was dressed in a grey dress with an outer overall skirt over it and her cape to complete it. Weiss' attire consisted of a button up battle shirt and black skirt. Blake had a white button up short-sleeved shirt with black jeans to go with it. Yang was wearing a white vest shirt with black sleeves on it with a purple gem necklace instead of her scarf.

"I thought that class would never end." Blake said with walking through the room, adjusting the ribbons on her arms. A knock was heard at the door, so she went to answer it. Opening it, she saw Theodore wearing an ocean blue t-shirt with black pants and a grey sweater. Blake stepped aside so that Theodore could come into the room. Once he was inside she closed the door.

"No dramatic coat today, Magic Boy?" Yang asked with a smirk, noticing his attire.

"I was going to but decided against it." Theodore replied, "The job is to find information not draw attention to ourselves, and what kind of a name is Magic Boy?"

"The funny kind."

"I'll tolerate that name…for now."

"Alright guys!" Ruby said from her bunk bed, "Today's the day! The investigation begins!"

"I am glad to see we are taking this so seriously." Weiss said with some sarcasm in her voice.

"Hey, we got a plan." Yang said back, "That's…moderately serious."

"Right!" Ruby said, "Everyone remember their roles?"

"You, Theodore, and I will head to the CCT to check the Schnee records for any other dust robberies or inconsistencies." Weiss said, "Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to handle orders and recruit new members." Blake said, "If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale." Yang stated, "Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."

"Great!" Ruby exclaimed, "We'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we found. Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Shouted a new voice. All five students turned to see Sun hanging upside down by the window with a smile on his face. By how long he was hanging there, he must've heard the whole thing. Seeing him there caused all four girls to take a step back from the window.

"SUN?!" Blake exclaimed.

"How did you get up there?" Yang asked.

"Ah, it's easy." Sun replied, "I do it all the time."

"You do what?!" Weiss asked with an angry look on her face.

"I climb trees all the time." The monkey Faunus answered then jumped into the room landing on his feet. "So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

"We are going to investigate the situation…as a team." Blake answered, putting emphasis on the last part.

"Sorry, Sun." Ruby apologized, "We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."

"Ouch. I'm hurt." Theodore intervened, "I'm a friend and I'm involved. Plus, I invited him."

"YOU WHAT?!" All four girls shouted.

"We need all the help we can get." He replied, "After seeing him hold his own against both Torchwick and the White Fang, I figured he would be great help."

"You got that right!" Sun exclaimed, "I also brought Neptune."

Team RWBY and Theodore looked out the window, to the right to see Neptune standing on the ledge with his hands and back up against the wall.

"Sup." He said with a smile.

"How did you even get up here?" Ruby asked.

"I have my ways." He replied, then supported a scared look, "Seriously though, can I come in? We're like…really high up right now."

"I got you." Theodore said. He then whispered something in an unknown language and Neptune teleported into the room. He said a quick 'Thank you' to Theodore and then stood to attention.

"All right." Ruby started, "I'll go with Weiss and Theodore. Sun you can go with Blake, and Neptune you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner. Everyone good?"

"Actually Ruby," Weiss said, "why don't you go with Yang. After all, she is your sister."

"But Weiss, who would go with you, besides Theodore?"

"Well, I guess Neptune could come with me."

Ruby just laughed followed by a simple 'Nah' and dragged Weiss out of the room. Theodore stayed behind to give Yang and Blake a gold coin with his symbol on it, explain what they are for and followed Ruby out.

* * *

Theodore, Ruby, and Weiss arrived at the tower. The young sorcerer was impressed by the size and design of the tower.

 _It's not the Empire State but it's impressive all the same._ Theodore thought.

"WOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAH!" Ruby exclaimed, "I forget how big the transit tower looks so close!"

"You should see the one in Atlas." Weiss said.

"That was the first one, right?"

"Correct. Atlas developed the cross continental transmit system to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

"Ohhhh, look at me. My name is Weiss. I know facts. I'm rich." Ruby tried to contain her laughter after her little imitation of Weiss.

"Ruby…be nice." Theodore said, "I think you're annoying the Ice Princess."

"Thank you, Theodore." Weiss said, then turned her attention to Ruby, "The only reason we're here is because she likes the tower so much. We could've just as easily made a call from the library."

"I know but it's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, "Oh, I'm gonna take a picture."

The young huntress pulled out her scroll, then accidentally dropped it. Theodore was going to retrieve it until it landed at the feet of someone familiar. That said person picked up the scroll and held it to Ruby.

"Oh." She said, "You dropped this."

"Penny?!" Ruby said.

"Uhhhhh…"

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks."

"S-Sorry, I think you're confused." Penny said before hiccupping and sending the phone flying into Ruby's hands. "Uh, I've got to go." Shen then turned around and walked away.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know," Ruby replied, "but I'm going to find out. You go make your call. I'll meet up with you and Theodore later."

"Wait!" Weiss said, but Ruby went ahead and followed Penny. The heiress then looked at Theodore. "Well, I guess it's just you and me."

"Sorry Weiss but I'm going with Ruby." Theodore said. He then turned to Weiss, grabbed her hand and placed a gold coin in it. "One of my contacts is in the building waiting for you. If he asks about me, show him the coin and he'll know you're a friend."

"Contact?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. You think I could keep tabs on the whole city? Even if I used my magic, I wouldn't be able to, so I have contacts. Eyes and ears everywhere in Vale. They let me know what's going on and what is about to happen. Gotta go. Be careful."

Theodore then turned and went to follow Ruby and Penny. Weiss just stood there confused for a few seconds then just started walking towards the entrance of the tower. Theodore caught up enough to hear Ruby talking to Penny.

"Penny, where have you been?" Ruby asked, "It's been weeks!"

"There seems to be a misunderstanding." Penny replied.

"What?! Penny, is everything okay? Penny, please stop!"

Theodore decided to help and teleported in front of Penny, making stop in her tracks. She had a look of surprise on her face. She didn't see nor hear Theodore and yet he appeared right in front of her.

"Penny, please just listen to us." Theodore pleaded.

"Look, I don't know what's wrong, but you have to listen to me." Ruby said, "Those guys we fought at the docks, we think they're up to something big, something bad, but I need you to tell me and Theodore what happened to you that night, please, as a friend."

Penny sighed and then looked around courtyard. She then walked up to Ruby and Theodore.

"It isn't safe to talk here." She whispered.

* * *

Weiss entered the building and moved toward the elevator. If she wanted to make her call, the top floor was her destination. The doors opened, and she entered. There was someone else inside, but she ignored the person. Once she was inside, the doors closed.

"Hello, welcome to the CCT." A voice on the speaker said, "How may I help you?"

"I'd like to go to the communications room, please." Weiss replied.

"Absolutely. Could you please place your scroll on the terminal to verify your identity?"

Weiss pulled out her scroll and put it near an open console. A scanning noise was heard for three seconds before it died down.

"Perfect." The voice said, "Thank you Miss Schnee."

The elevator then started to go up. Weiss was trying different smiles just in case her father answered the call. The first smile she thought was to casual. The second smile was too polite.

"If you're auditioning to be a clown, you're failing." A male voice said. Weiss turned to see the person she ignored when she first entered the elevator. He was a boy 18 year of age. He had jet black hair that reached to his neck. His height was 6'2", the same height as Theodore. His attire looked like a combat outfit for a soldier in the Atlas Military. It was red with black outlines on it. She looked to see what looked like a high caliber sniper rifle on his back. His shoes were combat boots that were a very dark brown. Looking at his face she saw his eyes, she saw they were an emerald red.

"Excuse me?!" Weiss exclaimed, "Do you know who you are talking to?!"

"Weiss Schnee." The boy replied, "Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and student at Beacon Academy."

"How did you know about Beacon?"

The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin with Theodore's symbol on it. Weiss had a surprised look on her face, opened the palm of her left and showed the same coin. She then put two and two together.

"You're one of Theodore Constantine's contacts." She stated.

"Yes, I am." He replied, then held out his left hand to shake Weiss', "Titian."

"Titian…" Weiss replied while shaking his hand expecting a last name.

"Sorry, my first name is all you're going to get right now." Titian replied.

The elevator stopped moving signifying they had reached the intended floor. Weiss walked out to the receptionist desk hoping to ask for help. Out of the blue a hologram of a woman appeared behind the desk.

"Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center." The woman said, "How may I help you?"

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas." Weiss answered.

"Absolutely." The hologram said and punched in some numbers before returning her attention to Weiss, "If you could head over to terminal 3, I'll patch you through."

"Thank you." Weiss said and started walking to specified terminal. She looked behind her to see Titian close behind.

"You make your call. I'm going to keep watch and make sure no one is trying to listen in." he said.

She nodded and walked to her terminal. As she sat down, Titian leaned against one of the walls next to her and kept watch. A few seconds later the computer turned on and an employee from the Schnee Dust Company appeared.

"Thank you for calling the Atlas-Oh!" the employee exclaimed, "Miss Schnee! Good Afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."

"No thank you." Weiss replied, "I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list."

The young heiress placed her scroll in a slot that transferred the list to the employee for verification.

"I see." The employee said, "If you don't mind, what might I ask is this for?"

"School project." Weiss lied.

"Um…there are some sensitive documents on this list ma'am."

"Well then, I'll be sure to treat them with care."

"Right. Well…the data is being transferred to your scroll now."

"Wonderful. That will be all then."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Well then…have a nice day."

The computer then shut down and the call ended. Weiss had a sad look on her face after the call ended. She then became shocked when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning to the source she saw Titian with a worried look on his face.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied.

* * *

On the other side of Vale, Theodore had finally explained his secret to Penny. She had a surprised look on her face after hearing the whole thing. She promised to never reveal the secret unless Theodore said so. Ruby finally came back after making sure they weren't being followed and all three of them walked down the sidewalk.

"I wish I could help you Ruby and Theodore," Penny said, "but I don't know anything about those men."

 _Figures that Atlas would keep their citizens in the dark about these problems._ Theodore thought.

"Well, what happened to you that night?" Ruby asked Penny, "We were all together and then you just disappeared. Were you kidnapped?"

"Ruby, did you see what she could do at the docks?" Theodore asked, "I doubt anyone would even want to try to kidnap her. I sure wouldn't want to try."

"Theodore is right Ruby." Penny said, "It was nothing like that."

"Well then where did you go?"

"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out to far, but…you have to understand. My father loves me very much. He just worries a lot."

"Believe me, I know the feeling."

"I only knew that type of worrying through my mom." Theodore said.

"But, why not let us know you were okay?" Ruby asked Penny.

"I…was asked…not to talk to you…or Weiss, or Blake, or Yang, or Theodore, or anybody really."

"Is your dad really that much of a jerk?" Theodore asked while cracking his fists, "Give me his name and I'll show him what happens when someone tries to keep their child in solitary confinement."

"No, it wasn't my father." Penny said. Before she could continue, however, a voice interrupted the conversation. The three students looked to see the hologram of an Atlas soldier speaking to the crowd.

"The AK-130 has been a standard security model of Remnant forces several years, and they have done a fine job. Wouldn't you agree? Wouldn't you agree?" The man asked. The bulky robots took a bow and the crowd started to clap. Theodore finally recognized the man as General James Ironwood, the head of the Atlas Military, headmaster of the Atlas Huntsman Academy, and a member of the Atlas Council.

"But…the kingdom of Atlas is a kingdom of innovation," the general continued, "and fine…well that's just not good enough is it?"

Crates behind the robots opened, revealing more advanced and humanlike robots.

"Presenting, the Atlassian Knight 2.0." the general said as the new robots stepped over the old ones. The crowd clapped as they watched the display.

"Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly a little less scary." Ironwood said as the robots did funny poses. "These models will become active later this year, but they won't be alone. Now, the Atlassian Military always supported the idea of removing men from the dangers of the battlefield. However, there are still many situations that undoubtabley require…a human touch."

Theodore looked unimpressed by what he was seeing while Ruby on the other hand had stars in her eyes from the display of tech and weaponry.

"Ruby?" Penny asked with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry, this is normal." Theodore assured her.

"So, our kingdoms greatest minds in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company are proud to introduce…" the general stated, "the Atlassian Paladin!"

The hologram of the general vanished to be replaced by one of a mechanized walker with arms meant to be piloted by a soldier.

"That looks like a machine from Metal Gear Solid." Theodore said.

"Metal Gear Solid?" Penny asked.

"It's a video game."

"Now we couldn't have them here for you today," Ironwood said, "but these mechanized battle suits will be seen defending the borders of our kingdom within the year!"

"Great. Just what we need, more Atlas weapons in Vale." Theodore said sarcastically, "As if there weren't enough already."

Ruby was practically drooling over what she was seeing. Penny on the other hand was looking more nervous by the minute.

"Ruby, Theodore," Penny said while taking a step backward, "maybe we should go somewhere else."

"Penny, what's wrong?" Theodore asked. Penny didn't reply, just ran into an alley. Ruby noticed as well, calling out her name but failing to get her attention. Trying to learn why she ran, Theodore saw what looked like two soldiers from Atlas running in their direction. Ruby must've seen them too because she started to run in the same direction as Penny. Seeing this, Theodore decided to follow them.

The three students ran past streets and down multiple alleys hoping to lose the soldiers. Sadly, the little routine was not working, and the soldiers were gaining on them. Down another alley, Ruby got an idea. Seeing a stack of boxes on a pillar made of wood, she took out her weapon and cut it making the boxes fall, blocking the soldiers path. She then grabbed Theodore's hand and used her semblance to pull him along to catch up with Penny. She then had the young sorcerer hold onto her cape, while she held onto Penny, and dashed off the wall into a different direction. Once they were out of reach, some debris crowding the alleys because of how fast Ruby was going, she let go of Penny and tumbled onto the ground. Theodore tumbled as well before landing on his back.

"How does the Flash manage to go so much faster and not get nauseas?" he asked himself while rubbing his head. He sat up to see Penny doing the same but didn't see Ruby anywhere. Looking around he saw her in the last place she needed to be. Right, smack, dab in the middle of the street and in the path of an incoming van.

"RUBY!" Theodore shouted at the top of his lungs and ran to her. Seeing there was no time to push her out of the way, he enveloped her in a hug from behind and turned his back to the van while getting down on his knees, taking her down with him. If he couldn't get her out of the way, he could at least act as her shield. He hoped that either his aura or magic would protect them to some degree. Hearing the van getting closer, he braced for impact. He heard the impact, but he felt no pain. After a few seconds of wondering why they weren't hit, he looked behind him and was stunned at what he saw.

Penny had stepped in and stopped the van, with her bare hands. Some of the street had come loose and flown everywhere, but other than that, no one was hurt. Theodore let go of Ruby and stood up with a surprised look on his face. Ruby stood up as well with a look of surprise equal to his own.

"Penny?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked the driver. He nodded his head, saying he was fine. She looked to see a sad look on Ruby's face while Theodore still looked surprised. She also saw a crowd forming around the scene. Feeling uncomfortable about the situation, Penny ran another direction.

"PENNY! COME BACK!" Ruby shouted and chased after her. Theodore followed close behind while making sure they weren't being followed. He and Ruby finally caught up with Penny and stopped in an alley corner with a garbage trunk near.

"Penny, please!" Ruby said and started bombarding her with questions, "What is going on?! Why are you running?! How did you do that?!"

"Is your semblance super strength?!" Theodore asked.

"I can't!" Penny replied, "Everything's fine. Hiccup! I-I-I don't want to talk about it! Hiccup!"

"You're lying, Penny." Theodore stated, "I noticed that you hiccup every time you say something that is not true."

"Penny if you can just tell us wrong, we can help you!" Ruby stated.

"No. No, no. You wouldn't understand." Penny said while turning her back to them.

"Then let us try." Theodore said, "You can trust us, just like I trust you."

Penny then turned back to them.

"You two are my friends, right?" she asked, "You promise you're my friends?"

"We promise." Ruby said then turned to the young sorcerer, "Right, Theodore?"

"Right." He replied.

"Ruby, Theodore…" Penny started, "I'm not a real girl."

Penny then showed them her hands and what they saw shocked them. Some of the skin had peeled away, but surprisingly there was no blood. Ruby and Theodore both saw that her hands weren't made of flesh and blood, but of metal.

"Oh." Was all Ruby could say. For Theodore, he had put the pieces together. The soldiers chasing them, her leaving early after the fight at the docks, and her orders to not talk to anyone. The answer came in three simple words in his head.

 _"She's a robot."_

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone. So sorry for the late update. I have had a busy month from returning from my sisters wedding to looking for classes at college. Thank you for your patience, even though it took me a while. I hope this chapter will make up for the long wait. I have already started on another story but haven't finished the first chapter yet. I will upload it when it is done though. Until next time, Sentinel Prime out.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Penny, I…I don't understand." Ruby said.

"Most girls are born," Penny replied, "but I was made. I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura. I'm not real."

Ruby took Penny's clenched hands and looked at the metal again. She then closed them and pushed them back while still holding onto them.

"Of course, you are." Ruby said, "You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me or Theodore?"

"I don't…um…you two are taking this extraordinarily well."

"Penny, you are not like those things back there." Theodore said.

"Theodore's right." Ruby agreed, "You've got a heart and a soul. I can feel it."

Penny had a look of surprise on her face which then morphed into one of joy. She then pulled both Ruby and Theodore into an almost bone crushing hug.

"Ohhhh!" She nearly screamed, "Oh Ruby! You and Theodore are the best friends anyone could have!"

"I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower." Theodore said while trying to breath. Penny finally let go of both students after hearing about her father. Ruby looked fine while Theodore was gasping for air.

"Oh, he is very sweet." Penny said, "My father is the one that built me. I'm sure you would just love him."

"Wow. He built you all by himself?" Ruby asked.

"Well, almost. He had some help from Mr. Ironwood."

"The general? Wait, is that why those soldiers were after you?"

"They like to protect me too."

"Are you serious?" Theodore asked after catching his breath, "I've seen what you can do at the docks. They really don't think you can protect yourself? I pity them."

"They're not sure if I'm ready yet, Theodore." Penny replied, "One day, it will be my job to save the world, but I still have a lot left to learn. That's why my father let me come to the Vytal Festival. I want to see what it's like in the rest of the world and test myself in the tournament."

 _Save the world?_ Theodore thought to himself, _Is another war about to start or something, because I doubt Darkseid knows about this place._

"Penny, what are you talking about?" Ruby asked, "Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace."

"That's not what Mr. Ironwood said." Penny replied. Suddenly they heard the voices of the soldiers that were chasing them. Penny then looked back at Ruby. "You have to hide."

Penny then lifted Ruby off the ground, carried her to an open trash bin and dumped her into it.

"Penny! What are you doing?!" Ruby asked, "You don't have to go with them. We can help you."

"It's okay, Ruby." Penny answered, "They're not bad people. I just don't want you or Theodore to get in trouble."

Penny then looked to Theodore. He gestured to her that he would be fine and whispered a spell. Blue light engulfed him and once it faded, he looked like someone else. He was 6'3", had brown eyes, blond hair and was wearing a police uniform.

"Don't worry I'll be fine." He said in a deep voice. Both girls had a look of surprise on their faces. The surprise went away though when they heard the soldier's voices again.

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone about my secret. Okay?" Penny asked both Ruby and Theodore.

"I promise." Ruby replied and ducked into the trach bin. Theodore gave Penny thumbs up and walked up to her. He got behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Just then, the soldiers walked up.

"There she is!" one of them said and ran to her position. They stopped one foot short when they saw the disguised Theodore behind her.

"I found this one roaming around the alleys." Theodore said, "If you are her bodyguards, you need to do better at your job or you'll lose it."

"Sal-u-tations, officers!" Penny said with a smile on her face.

"Why were you running?!" the other one asked, "And what happened to the other girl?! Sir, was there another girl with her?"

"Sorry, I found her alone in the alleys." Theodore replied, "You're lucky I got to her first before someone else did. If that happened I would have a talk with your superiors and you would be in a lot of trouble."

"Well, thank you." The soldier said then looked at Penny, "You shouldn't cause such a scene."

"Are you okay?" the other soldier asked.

"Just a scratch." Penny replied, showing her hands while Theodore looked away, "He pukes at the sight of blood."

"Penny, your father isn't going to be happy about this." The soldier said, "Please, just come with us."

"Yes sir." Penny then walked away with the two soldiers. While walking away, she looked back at Theodore and winked at him. He gave a wink of his own and watched her walk out of sight. He heard a ruckus in the trash bin Ruby was hiding in and dashed to it. Opening it up with his gun cocked and loaded he nearly laughed seeing that Ruby was startled by a mouse.

* * *

In downtown Vale, Junior was enjoying the night. His bar had not been disturbed in a while and business was booming. His men were enjoying themselves with drinks and music. One of his costumers, however, was simply sitting at the bar and was on his twentieth glass of water. He was 18 years of age and he was big, as in muscle not fat. He was 6'3" ft. tall, had deep green eyes and silver, unkept hair. His attire consisted of a white t-shirt, black shoulder guards, cameo green pants, and brown boots. There was a weapon on his back that resembled a double-bladed axe. Junior walked up to him.

"You've been here for quite a while." He said, "Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yes, I am." The boy replied, "Am I taking up space?"

"No, it's just that- "

"Hurry, close the door! She's coming!" Someone shouted, interrupting the conversation. Both looked to see two of Junior's men burst through the entrance and then close them. Junior walked to them with an angry look on his face.

"What are you two idiots doing?!" Junior asked, "It's not closing time!"

"Junior!"

"She's back!"

"The girl!"

"The one with the- "

Before they could continue, the door was blasted open with an explosion and smoke entered the room. The boy put his hand on the axe handle, getting ready for a fight. What he saw, however, was a girl a year younger then him with gauntlets on her writs, walking through the smoke, into the room.

"GUESS WHO'S BACK!" she shouted with a smile on her face. He would have laughed if it wasn't for the guns pointed at her face. Her smile disappeared into a threating scowl at seeing the guns.

"Yeah, so could you define friend for me?" a blue haired boy asked, popping from behind the girl.

"STOP! STOP!" Junior shouted while walking up to Yang, "Nobody shoot. Blondie, you're here. Why?"

"You still owe me a drink." The girl, nicknamed Blondie said and dragged Junior to the bar. The boy just kept watching her for a few more seconds before walking to her and stopping her.

"Aren't you a little young to be in this club, let alone drink?" he asked.

"Who's asking?" she said in a threatening tone.

"Someone who doesn't like it when somebody weaker is picked on."

Hearing that, the girl threw her fist at him which he caught with ease. She had a surprised look on her face from the feat. The boy figured that she was not used to someone catching her punches without a problem. He then heard something drop on the ground and looked to see a gold coin with a star on it. He reached into his own pocket and showed to the girl the exact same coin.

"You're one of Theodore's contacts?" She asked with surprise.

"That's right." He replied while putting the coin back in his pocket. He raised his hand to her in a greeting manner. "Argent Silvermane."

"Yang Xiao Long." The girl replied while taking his hand and shaking it.

"Wait, you're one of Theodore Constantine's contacts?" Junior asked with surprise on his face.

"Yes, I am." Argent said with a smirk on his face. He let go of Yang's hand and grabbed Junior by his tie. He then threw him onto a seat and got in front of him.

"Now, you're going to do what the young lady tells you to do, or I'll make your bar look like it was hit by a bomb. Understand?"

"Y-yes sir." Junior replied in a scared voice.

* * *

In another part of Vale Blake, along with Sun, had finally located the White Fang's meeting place where they look for new recruits.

"This is it." Blake said looking at Sun.

"You sure?" Sun asked, which earned him a scowl from Blake. "You know, I'm just going to take your word for it."

Both Faunus entered the building to find out what was going on. Blake had taken off her bow to show that she was one of them. Unbeknownst to both, someone was following them. The said person decided to enter through the window instead of the front door.

Once Blake and Sun were insider, they were given masks to wear on their faces.

"New recruits, keep to the right!" a White Fang soldier shouted.

"I don't get it." Sun asked while holding up his mask, "If you believe what you're doing is right, why hide who you are?"

"The masks are a symbol." Blake replied, "Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we chose to don the faces of monsters."

"Grimm masks? That's kind of dark."

"So is the guy who started it."

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you."

Both Faunus walked into the meeting room with the masks on their faces. New recruits were on the right while soldiers were on the left. A senior White Fang member who looked about 6'4" walked onto the stage where a curtain was behind him with the White Fang symbol on it.

"Thank you all for coming." He said, "For those of you who are joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I can assure you he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for, for so long."

On cue, Roman Torchwick walked onto the stage. A lot of the Faunus in the room were not happy to see a human in the same building as they were.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Roman said, "Please, hold your applause."

"What's a human doing here?!" one of the new recruits asked.

"I'm glad you asked dearie." Roman replied, "Now, I'll be the first to admit, humans are the worst. Case of point. So, I understand why you would like to see us all locked up, or better yet killed."

"So, is he going somewhere with this or…" Sun whispered to Blake.

"But, before the claws come out, I would like to mention the fact that you and I all have a common enemy. The ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty, rotten humans that run our kingdoms. Government, military, even the schools. They're all to blame for your lot in life. And they're all pests that need to be dealt with. Fortunately, I'm best exterminator around. No offense to any rodents in the room."

Torchwick then snapped his fingers, the curtains fell to the floor, and revealed an Atlassian Paladin with the White Fang emblem on its left arm.

"Uuuuuugh, that's a big robot." Sun said.

"How did he get that?" Blake asked.

"As some of you may have heard," Roman continued, "this right here is Atlas' newest line of defense against all the scary things in the world, and thanks to my employer we managed to snag a few before they hit the shelfs. Now, many of your brothers have already moved down to our new operations in the southeast. If you'd rather stay within the city that's fine, but if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you. Any questions?"

"What about Theodore Constantine?" a dog Faunus asked causing everyone to listen, "Do we need to kill him too?"

"That…is actually a good question." Roman replied then looked to the big White Fang member, "What do you think big guy?"

"To be honest, no, I don't think we have to." He replied, "Theodore Constantine is trying to show that the Faunus have the same rights as humans. He even saves them from hate crimes to simple accidents. I believe that if we have a chance, we should capture him and show why we are taking this path."

"You heard him." Torchwick addressed the crowd, "If you happen to run into Theodore Constantine, be sure to bring him in alive and I'm guessing…unharmed."

"Well, at least Theodore got a Let Live card." Sun said, "Unlike most humans."

"We should get out of here." Blake said.

"Would all new recruits please come forward." The big Faunus shouted.

"Well…" Sun said while staying put along with Blake while the rest of the recruits walked to the stage. Unknown to everyone, the same figure that followed Blake and Sun into the building, was carefully concealed on one of the beams, watching everything from above, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

* * *

"I don't know." Junior replied after putting his glass down.

"How can you not know?" an annoyed Yang asked.

"I haven't talked to him." He replied while standing up, "I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here. He paid up front, I lent him my men, and none of them ever came back."

"So where did they go?" Neptune asked. Both Junior and Argent looked at him as if he grew a second head.

"What kind of stupid question is that?!" Argent asked, "They never came back! End of story!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Junior said to Argent then looked to Yang while pointing at Neptune, "Who is this guy?"

"Don't worry about him." Yang said while pushing Neptune away, "Worry about me and Mr. Silvermane here if I don't find out what I want!"

"I already told you everything! Torchwick hired my boys and I guess he wasn't happy with them. WHICH IS SOMETHING I CAN RELATE TO!"

The last part was addressed to all his men in the bar. They all stopped to look at their boss to see if he needed anything. Seeing that they were getting nowhere, Yang started to walk away.

"Come on Neptune." Yang said. Neptune started to follow her out of the bar. Argent stayed behind a few seconds to pay for the water then caught up with Yang and Neptune.

"Did we get everything we need?" Neptune asked Yang.

"Well, we got everything we can." Yang replied, "Hopefully the rest of the team is having better luck."

* * *

Better luck wouldn't be the right word concerning Blake and Sun. Everyone was still cheering, and the new recruits were approaching the stage. Both Faunus knew that their cover would be blown soon if they stayed put any longer.

"What are we gonna do?" Sun asked.

"I'm thinking." Blake replied while looking around. She had to think fast because Roman just noticed the two new recruits weren't moving, just looking around the place.

"He sees us." Sun stated the obvious. Roman threw down his cigar and started walking towards the two. The monkey Faunus just waved nervously while Blake still tried to look for a way out. Just before the thief could walk off the stage, a shot was fired at his feet forcing him to stop. Everyone, even Blake and Sun, looked for where the source of the shot was. A woman Faunus screamed as she pointed to one of the beams in the ceiling. A figure jumped from it and landed on all four on the stage behind Roman.

"Who are you?" Roman asked as he turned to face his would-be assassin. The figure just stood up slowly and looked at Roman in the eyes. It was a boy of 18, 6'2" and golden eyes. He wore what looked like a black ops military suit complete with black gauntlets (except there were no guns attached) and boots. The most stunning features, however, were the ears on top of his head, the stripes on his arms and the tail swerving behind him. The ears were orange on the outside and showed a few inches above his black, neck length hair. His tail was also orange and had black stripes on it. His arms had black stripes as well from his shoulders all the way to where the gauntlets started. All of this showed he was a tiger Faunus.

"You know who I am." He replied with a growl.

"It's the Butcher!" a recruit shouted, and everyone started to run in different directions. Sun was watching as senior White Fang members rushed to the stage to confront the intruder while Blake just stood there motionless, in fear. Before everyone stood the most feared being of the White Fang and Faunus. The Butcher was known to have attacked White Fang strong holds, that could withstand an attack from the Atlas military for seven days and destroy them within an hour. This being took no prisoners from any army that he faced. Any White Fang solider or army that accepted an assignment to hunt him down left and none returned alive.

Blake had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him while she was on an assignment with Adam. The man she used to followed was known for being the best fighter in any White Fang army. When he went up against the Butcher though, both he and Blake were almost killed. Somehow, they were able to escape the Butcher's attack against them. Adam said that they were able to overpower him, but Blake knew that they just got lucky to get out of there alive.

"ALL NEW RECRUITS, TAKE COVER!" the big Faunus shouted as he and other senior members charged at the Butcher. The tiger Faunus just looked at the White Fang soldiers with an angry but focused gaze. He unclenched his fists and the finger tips of the gauntlets turned into claws. He started to fight them off with a tiger style of Kung Fu, making Yang's hand to hand fighting style look like child's play. Each one of the members were either being tossed or knocked to the ground, but to Blake's surprise not even one of them was getting killed.

The Butcher then stopped mid-fight and looked at both Blake and Sun. Both Faunus took a step back out of both fear and surprise. What surprised them even more was when the Butcher jumped off the stage and towards the fuse box. With all his strength, he cut the box in half, destroying the building's power source and making the room go dark. Knowing that every Faunus would be able to see him, he had to move fast. Dashing towards Blake and Sun, he wrapped an arm around their stomachs and leapt out of the building through one of the top windows in the back of the room.

Once the Butcher had landed, he threw both Faunus out of his grasp. Blake and Sun quickly stood up into fighting stances with weapons at the ready but paused when they noticed something. The Butcher held both of their masks in each hand.

 _He must have ripped them off while he was throwing us._ Blake thought to herself. What surprised her and Sun even more was when he raised both of his hands and in a single effort, crushed the masks into pieces.

"Those didn't suit either of you." The Butcher said while dusting off his hands.

"Okay, I'm glad you helped us out back there," Sun said still in a combat stance, "but how do we know we can trust you?"

The Butcher simply reached behind himself with his left hand, pulled something out of his pocket and showed the object to both Blake and Sun. Both Faunus were surprised to see a gold coin with a star on it. The same one Theodore gave Blake and Yang before leaving Beacon with Ruby and Weiss.

"You're one of the Theodore's contact's?!" Blake said in a disbelieving tone.

"Yes, I am." The Butcher replied while putting the coin away, "Don't call me Butcher. My name is Clair Vermillion."

"Isn't Clair a girl's name?" Sun said while trying to contain his laughter. He stopped however when the Butcher, now known as Clair, got up in his face with his claws poised to strike.

"You want to have scratches all over your face and every girl run from you in terror?" he asked Sun with a growl at the end. The monkey Faunus shook his head in fear after hearing the threat. Clair retracted his claws and was about to tell them to move when he heard a noise from the warehouse. All three Faunus looked in time to see the paladin burst through the wall and start running towards them.

"RUN!" Clair shouted and sprinted the other way.

"You don't have to tell us twice!" Sun said back as he and Blake followed him. All three Faunus leapt over buildings and through streets, but the paladin was still close behind them. Sun looked to both Blake and Clair while jumping across roofs. "So, either of you wouldn't happen to have…aw, I don't know…some form of backup?!"

"On it!" Blake said then grabbed her scroll to make a call.

* * *

Weiss and Titian were about to exit the elevator when the heiress' phone rang. She answered to hear Blake's voice on the other end.

"Everyone!" the cat Faunus said, "If you can hear me we need back- "

"HEEEEEEELLLLLLP!" Sun interrupted. Weiss just rolled her eyes and singled for her newly acquainted partner to follow her. Both exited the elevator and building to look for the Faunus' in distress.

* * *

"They got a robot, and it's big! Really big!" Sun voiced said through Ruby's scroll as she and Theodore, who looked normal again, listened. The young sorcerer had a concerned look on his face while the huntress in training had one of excitement.

"Oh, I am not missing this!" Ruby said as she sped off to find what Sun had described.

"Hey! Don't count me out of the fun!" Theodore shouted as he chased after her.

* * *

Yang had just gotten on her bike, with Neptune behind her when she got the call. Argent was standing right next to them listening in.

"That Torchwick guy is in it!" Sun said, "He's like controlling it or something!"

"Where are you guys?" Yang asked.

"HUUURRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" All three turned to see Blake, Sun and someone else run past them with the paladin right behind them.

"I think that was them." Neptune said.

"You think?" Argent asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I got it." Yang replied. She then turned on her bike and sped off after them. Argent ran to a parked, silver jeep next to the bar. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a set of keys, unlocked the door, got in and started in up. Closing the door and strapping his seat belt he drove off to follow Yang and Neptune.

* * *

Blake, Sun and Clair were jumping from car to car on the highway trying to get away from the paladin. Sadly, the machine, with Torchwick inside of it, just bulldozed past every vehicle in its way. Lucky for the three Faunus', Yang and Neptune rode up right behind the paladin with Argent on their tail.

"WE'VE GOT TO SLOW IT DOWN!" Yang shouted to Neptune.

"GOT IT!" he shouted back.

Inside the mech, Torchwick had an alarm, notifying him that someone was behind him. Picking up speed, the paladin made any car that was in front of it fly behind him. This made the driving from Yang a little more difficult.

"Hold on!" Yang said to Neptune. She swerved away from any car that came flying her way, almost making Neptune fall off. Luckily, he didn't fall off the bike. Seeing that he was in the clear, Neptune grabbed the weapon from his back and fired at the paladin. Two out of four shots hit their mark making it slow down. Neptune then stood up on the bike and turned his gun into a glaive. He then leapt from the bike and pierced his weapon into the paladin's back while maintaining his grip.

In front of the machine, Blake, Sun, and Clair had each landed on a separate car and looked back to see what was happening. The monkey Faunus saw the predicament his friend/teammate was in and decided to help.

"NEPTUNE, HANG ON!" Sun shouted. Neptune was being flung around while maintaining his grip on the glaive. It could be seen, though that he wouldn't be able to hold on for long. Putting his hands together and concentrating, Sun activated his semblance and created two shinning clones of himself. Both clones rushed at the paladin and hit it, head on. They then vanished into thin air while Sun took out his bow staff and charged at the machine.

Sadly, he wouldn't get his chance to hit the paladin. Torchwick was able to shake off Neptune, causing him to fly into Sun and knock them both off the highway. Blake and Clair could only watch as they both flew away.

 _Are you kidding me?!_ Clair thought to himself.

"Blake, I'm in position!" Blake heard from her scroll. Sure enough, Weiss and her companion, Titian, landed right in front of the paladin's path from the freeway above. Weiss pulled out her rapier while Titian grabbed his rifle and took aim. Torchwick grinned to himself thinking that getting past those two was going to be easy. He was wrong. Titian shot at the paladin's head, temporarily blinding Torchwick. Weiss stabbed downward into the street, covering a small part of it with ice.

The paladin slipped, lost it's footing, and fell off the highway and onto the ground below. Sadly, however, it was able to land on its feet. Torchwick regained his line of sight and looked to see both Ruby and Theodore Constantine standing right in front of him with their scythe and sword at the ready. Blake, Weiss, Yang, Titian and Clair landed right next to the two. They then heard a jeep and looked to see it park right behind them, skidding to a stop. Argent got out with his axe in hand and joined the others in the lineup.

 _This is going to be fun._ Roman thought to himself as the paladin walked towards the huntsman and huntresses in training.

"FREEZER BURN!" Ruby shouted, then she and Blake scattered. Theodore and the other three boys did the same. Weiss then covered a portion of the ground with ice, Yang jumped into the air and shot at it while landing. The result was a fog that clouded the paladin's line of vision. Torchwick activated laser sensors, hoping to find them in the fog. Sensing movement, the paladin shot and missed as Yang and Blake ran across from each other. Ruby dashed forward and slashed the paladin's head. There was a large clang, but it didn't look like it was damaged. Torchwick got another movement and looked up to see Theodore bring his claymore down on the paladin's head. To the thief's shock and surprise, it did some damage. Theodore landed right next to Ruby in a defensive stance, just in case the paladin charged at them.

"CHECKMATE!" Ruby shouted, then Blake and Weiss charged at the paladin. Theodore motioned with his left hand to charge. Clair and Titian joined Weiss and Blake to take on the weapon. Blake and Weiss attacked the paladin's legs, keeping it distracted, while Titian and Clair jumped towards it. During the jump, Titian cocked his rifle in a different way and it turned into a five-foot, double bladed sword. He and Clair then took out the laser target system so that the machine would have trouble getting a decent shot.

One of the paladin's feet was raised to crush Blake. Seeing the danger, Clair jumped down and in one swift motion threw his gauntlets into the air. Both then transformed into pistols and landed into each of Clair's hands. He then started to shoot at the foot, causing it to slow down. Weiss then created a glyph that pulled Blake out of the way, so that the foot only broke cement.

Torchwick was getting mad at this point. The paladin then started to shoot missiles at them. All four were dodging as best as they could, without being to close to the explosion. One jump Weiss did, however, left her open. The paladin fired two shots at her from its arms. Weiss was able to block it with her weapon but was sent further from Blake. While flying though, the young heiress was able to place a glyph right under Blake. Expecting to hit the ground, Weiss was surprised when felt hands on her back and her legs. Looking up, she saw that Titian had caught her, bridal style, before she could hit the ground.

The glyph, that Weiss had placed under Blake, speed up the Faunus so fast that when the next volley of missiles came flying towards her, she was able to cut them down with little effort. Ruby then dashed past her while shouting something else.

"LADYBUG!"

Both Ruby and Blake started to cut at the paladin's legs. Just like the previous attack though, this was also a distraction. Getting a warning, Torchwick looked up to see Theodore and Clair falling towards the paladin with their weapons drawn. The weaponized mech didn't have time to dodge or block as the sword and claws cut through its left arm. The whole arm came off and fell to the ground with a thud.

Torchwick then felt something hit the back of the paladin. From what felt like punches, he guessed it was the blondie, Yang. Theodore saw Yang shooting the paladin and decided she needed help. He looked to Argent who quickly got the message. He rans towards the paladin and jumped in the air to assist Yang. He didn't count on the fact that the machine would come flying backwards, sending him and Yang through multiple concrete beams. Both were then knocked into one and punched through it while they were falling. The also fell onto the jeep, crushing it into a junk heap.

"YANG!" Blake shouted in concern.

"Don't worry." Ruby said, "With each hit, she gets stronger and she uses that energy to fight back. That's what makes her special."

 _She sounds like a Saiyan._ Theodore thought to himself then looked at what was left of the jeep. _Argent isn't going to be happy._

Yang stood up facing the paladin, with her head down and fists clenched. Her hair was also glowing a brighter yellow. The mech threw another punch at Yang which she caught without flinching. She then looked up and opened her eyes showing they were red instead of purple. She then pulled her left fist back and in one swift punch shattered the paladin's arm.

Argent had just recovered from the hit and sat up rubbing his back. His face went from groggy to surprised when he saw his jeep wrecked. Turning to the paladin, who had just kicked Yang away, he grabbed his axed, which turned into a bazooka and started firing missiles at the paladin.

"YOU WRECKED MY CAR!" He shouted. While he was doing that Blake and Yang were doing a team up attack called 'Bumblebee'. Blake was holding onto the ribbon end of Gambol Shroud while Yang held the weapon itself and was shooting at the paladin while being spun by the cat Faunus.

"We have to slow it down!" Ruby said.

"And how do you propose we do that?!" Weiss asked. Ruby answered her question by looking back at the paladin and shouting another command.

"ICE FLOWER!"

Weiss created three glyphs from large to small and Ruby positioned her scythe as a sniper would take aim. When she shot a bullet, it passed through the glyphs and hit the paladin making a piece of it get covered with ice. She got four shots on the mech before Yang came flying in, punching it straight in the face. The result caused the paladin to fall apart with Roman Torchwick falling out of it. This display of strength didn't go unnoticed by Argent.

"What a woman." He said with amazement. His attention then focused on the one responsible for wrecking his jeep.

"Just got this thing cleaned." Roman said while dusting himself off. He then looked to see Yang re-cock her weapon when Argent dashed past her with his axe at the ready shouting "HE'S MINE!"

Roman would have been sushi if it wasn't for a new addition that blocked the incoming attack with her umbrella. She then pushed Argent back to when he was standing right next to Yang. She then moved the umbrella over her head to reveal a girl Ruby's age and height. She had hair that was mostly pink on the right and chocolate brown on the left. Her right eye was brown while her left was pink. She looked at the group with a smile which then turned to surprise when she saw Argent.

"Neo?" Argent asked quietly while everyone else caught up.

"Ladies. Gentlemen. Ice Queen. Theodore Constantine." Torchwick said.

"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Yes! You got my name right!" Theodore stated, "Thank you!"

"Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would?"

The girl, Neo, took a bow towards everyone. Theodore looked to Titian who understood what he was asking he switched his sword back into a sniper rifle and put a special type of bullet into the gun. He then took aim and fired. The bullet was half way there when it exploded, and a net flew straight towards its victims. When it made contact, however, the two figures shattered as if they were never there.

Everyone then heard a bullhead's engines and looked for the source. They all saw Torchwick and Neo on the inside flying away. Argent, however, rushed towards it and leapt with the help of his bazooka giving him a boost. He grabbed onto the floor of the bullhead and started to climb inside when he saw Torchwick and Neo looking at him. The thief had an amused look on his face while his little helper was surprised.

"You sure are persistent, aren't you kid?" Torchwick asked then looked at his little henchman/girl. "Neo, would you be so kind and throw the trash off the plane?"

Neo looked at Roman, nodded her head and walked towards Argent. The contact looked at the girl with a sad look as if asking 'Why?' Neo knelt so that her face was level with his, her face also supporting a sad look. She closed her left hand into a fist, placed it over chest and started making a circle motion. It was sign language which meant 'I'm sorry.' She then reeled her fist back and punched Argent in the face as hard as she could. The boy then fell off the bullhead and onto the ground in front of the others. Torchwick looked at Neo with a questionable looked and walked up to her. Her expression had not changed. She still had the same sad look on her face before she punched Argent.

"From the looks of it, you two seem to have a history." Roman said, "Do you know him?"

Neo pulled out her scroll, typed some words on it, and showed it to Torchwick. What he read caused him to have a look of surprise.

 _He's my brother._ It read.

"Oh." Roman replied, "Well then…just hope you two never cross paths again. It's really hard to fight someone when they're family members."

"Argent! You okay?!" Yang asked as she knelt next to him. The silver haired boy just stood up and dusted himself off.

"I'm okay, Yang." He answered while looking the direction where the bullhead had flown, "I've fallen from higher places."

"We were so CLOSE!" Theodore exclaimed while throwing his weapon down out of anger of losing Torchwick, again.

"So, I guess he got a new henchman." Yang said.

"Yeah, I guess she really made our plans…fall apart?" Weiss said while smiling at the pun she just invented. She only got a few chuckles from Theodore and Ruby while the rest were silent.

"No. Just…no." Titian said.

"Agreed." Clair added.

"Clair. Argent." Theodore addressed two of his contacts, "Where are Sun and Neptune?"

* * *

The said students were sitting at a food stand named A Simple Wok Noodle House, eating the food there.

"They're probably fine, right?" Neptune asked.

"Probably." Sun replied and both boys continued to eat.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

 _Flashback (After Theodore's Conversation with Jaune and Pyrrha)_

 _Theodore exited the elevator and entered Ozpin's office where he Professor Goodwitch, Professor Port, and Dr. Oobleck waiting for him with the headmaster. Ozpin, as usual, was sitting behind his desk drinking a cup of coffee._

How many cups does he drink? _Theodore thought to himself. "Is something wrong, Ozpin?"_

 _"I'm afraid there is Mr. Constantine." Ozpin replied._

 _"Is it something I did again?"_

 _"No, it's not something you did. It's something I overlooked. Do you remember what happened after you got back from the cliffs after the initiation was finished?"_

 _"Yeah. You called up four students at a time, said their names, announced what pieces they grabbed and named their…teams…Bollocks."_

 _"If that is a word for when you realize something, then yes. Bollocks." Glynda replied, "You have been without a team for quite sometime Mr. Constantine. Even though Ozpin is the headmaster and can bend the rules some, he can't overlook this problem a second time."_

 _"She means, my boy," Mr. Port added, "if you don't have teammates by a certain amount of time…you will be expelled from Beacon."_

 _"We all don't want to see you leave Mr. Constantine," Oobleck said, "but without the right number of students to form a team…you will have to."_

 _Theodore looked to all the professors to see both truth and sadness in their eyes. They wanted him to abide by the rules, but they also didn't want him to leave because of them. Unknown to them all, Theodore had a plan for this sort of situation. Reaching into the right side of his school uniform with his left hand, he pulled out a sheet of paper with names and information on it for three individuals and handed it to Goodwitch._

 _"What is this?" She asked with a surprised look._

 _"Names for people I want enrolled in this school and on my team." Theodore replied, "With Ozpin's permission, of course."_

 _"Glynda, may I see that?" Ozpin asked while holding out his left hand. Glynda nodded and handed the sheet to the headmaster. Ozpin looked at the names, minus the information, put the paper down and looked at Theodore._

 _"I'm okay with this." Ozpin said, "How long will it take for them to get here though?"_

 _"They're my contacts in the city," Theodore replied, "and they're visiting friends and family right now, so I say by the start of the second semester."_

 _"Well then, that's all for now. You can head back to your room now and work on your essay."_

 _"Thank you, headmaster." Theodore then started walking towards the elevator. When he pressed the button, though, Dr. Oobleck called to him._

 _"Mr. Constantine." He said, "How did you produce the folder from your jacket?"_

 _"Just look at my file." Theodore said while entering the elevator, "My mother was a magician, so it was only natural I learned a few things from her."_

 _The doors closed, and the elevator started to take Theodore down to his designated floor. Port and Oobleck looked to Goodwitch with permission to look at Theodore's file. The combat instructor handed them her scroll while she walked to Ozpin to see the names that Theodore had left them. While she didn't mind the first two that she read it was the last one that surprised her._

Clair Vermillion

Argent Silvermane

Titian Ironwood

 _Flashback End_

* * *

Pyrrha was mopping the floor with Team CRDL faces in the arena, located in the combat classroom. Everyone watched in amazement as the Invincible Girl defeated a whole team without breaking a sweat. The fight was over when she used a finishing move on Cardin, sending him crashing to the floor.

"And that's the match." Said Professor Goodwitch, the combat instructor, as she walked into the arena.

"Lucky shot." Cardin said before passing out from exhaustion.

 _Keep telling yourself that, Cardin._ Theodore thought to himself.

"Well done, Miss Nikos." Glynda said to Pyrrha, "You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

"Thank you, Professor." Pyrrha replied with a smile.

"Alright. Now I though that is a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" Glynda looked around the room to see no one raise their hand. Her eyes landed on Blake reading something on her lap instead of paying attention in class.

"Miss Belladonna," Glynda addressed surprising the disguised Faunus, "you been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you- "

"I'll do it." Someone said while raising their hand. Glynda looked to see that it was one of the so-called transfer students from Haven.

"Mercury, is it?" she asked, "Very well. Let's find you an opponent."

"Actually," Mercury replied, "I want to fight…her."

His finger was pointed at Pyrrha which surprised both the student and teacher.

"Me?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'm afraid Miss Nikos has just finished a match." Glynda replied, "I recommend you choose another partner." The combat instructor then saw another hand raised behind Mercury. "Mr. Constantine. Do you wish to be Mercury's opponent?"

Mercury looked behind him to see Theodore with his hand raised. He also had a look of mischief in his eyes. He then lowered his hand and answered Professor Goodwitch.

"Oh no." he said, "Someone already beat me to that. I just wanted to let you know that he's right behind you."

Glynda and Pyrrha turned to see a tiger Faunus sitting in the middle of the arena, cross-legged. The combat instructor looked through her scroll to see that the student's name was Clair Vermillion. He had both of his eyes closed as if he was meditating.

"Mr. Vermillion?" Glynda asked while walking up to him. Clair opened his eyes to look at the combat teacher after hearing his name called. He answered by nodding his head then stood at full height. Looking at him, face to face, Glynda thought he looked very intimidating up closely. Why Ozpin would allow the Butcher in the school she would never understand. Putting her thoughts aside she punched in the right numbers for the match to start. Done, she moved off the arena as Mercury walked into the arena and got into a fighting stance.

"So, what's the Butcher doing at Beacon?" Mercury asked causing a few of the students, mostly Faunus, to gasp in surprise.

"I came to learn the right way." Clair replied while also getting into a fighting stance and unsheathing his claws. "Also, don't call me by that name. Use my real name."

"Trying to hide who you are?"

"Trying to become a better person."

Mercury then charged at Clair and the fight started. The grey-haired assassin threw a series of kicks to the Faunus who blocked with ease. After a few more kicks Clair decided to go on the offensive. Mercury just barely dodged a strike from the claws which would have hurt if it made contact. Both switched between offensive and defensive maneuvers as the fight continued.

"Hey, your friend's pretty good." Ruby said to Emerald who smiled back. When the she turned her face away the thief had a look of annoyance on her face. She then looked to Theodore who looked in deep thought while watching the fight. Turning back to the fray, Emerald saw that Mercury had kicked Clair seven feet away from him.

"The style of fighting that you're using…" Mercury said to Clair, "I thought it was out of date."

"No style of fighting is ever out of date…" Clair replied, "as long as it keeps you alive."

"Good point." Both then continued their fight. The assassin was looking for an opening in Clair's defenses during the fight and finally found one. Doing an upward kick, he forced the tiger Faunus' hands out of the way of his face and delivered a brutal kick with his left leg. All the students gasped in shock at what they saw, everyone but Theodore and his team. Mercury thought they were surprised at what he did to Clair, but it was the other way around. The assassin felt himself being turned by his left leg, so he hopped on his right leg to keep balance. What he saw shocked him. The tiger Faunus had caught his foot, with his teeth. Mercury saw the fangs in Clair's mouth and was glad that they hadn't penetrated the shoe. The tiger Faunus then threw his head to the left with all his strength, sending Mercury soaring through the air. The said boy fell to the ground with a thud, but quickly recovered himself and stood up.

"Steel toed boots." Clair said after spitting remnants of the shoe out of his mouth, "The perfect kind of foot wear for your style of combat."

"Thanks." Mercury replied then charged him and they were once again battling each other without landing a single hit. Clair used one palm hit to get himself a good distance away from Mercury. Looking to the stands he saw Theodore swing his hand horizontally in front of his neck. The tiger Faunus then charged Mercury and did a swipe at him, but instead of going on the defensive he left himself open. The assassin then threw a powerful kick at him, that landed on Clair's chest and sent him flying out of the ring, landing on his back with a thud.

"Mr. Black wins by a ring out. Class dismissed." Glynda said and walked out. Mercury walked to where Clair had fallen and saw him get up and dust himself off.

"You okay?" Mercury asked sounding concerned.

"I've been hit harder than that." Clair answered, "I'll survive. Good match."

"You too."

The tiger Faunus then walked away to Theodore who was waiting for him at the exit. Once they were outside of the building, Clair turned to the young sorcerer.

"We have to tell them." He said gesturing to Team RWBY.

"Alright." Theodore replied, "Head to our room and let Team JNPR know as well. I'll meet you there."

Clair nodded his head and walked away. Theodore waited for Team RWBY walk towards him. He was about to approach them when he saw Sun run up to Blake who was falling behind, reading something.

"Hey, Blake." Sun said getting the cat Faunus' attention, "You, uh, doing okay?"

"I'm fine." Blake replied with an annoyed look. Theodore noticed the bags under her eyes.

"Ahem. So, I hear there's this dance going on this weekend. Sounds pretty lame but you and me I'm thinking not as lame. Huh?"

"What?"

"The dance this weekend. Do you want to go or what?"

"I don't have time for a stupid dance." Blake then turned and started to walk away, "I thought you of all people would get that."

Sun hung his head down in sadness from being rejected. Theodore walked up to the monkey Faunus and put his left hand on his right shoulder in a comforting manner. Sun looked up to see the young sorcerer.

"Try asking her again when she's in a better mood." Theodore suggested, "Right now, I need you, Neptune and Team RWBY to come to my team's room."

"Okay." Sun replied, "What for?"

"I'll explain when you're all there. Second floor, room number 413." The young sorcerer walked away from Sun and headed towards his team's dorm, hoping for the best.

* * *

Teams RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Neptune arrived in front of the door that lead to Theodore's room. Weiss walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"Come in." Theodore said on the other side.

"How are we going to fit in the room?" Weiss asked while reaching for the door knob.

"I'm sure Theodore figured out…some way." Ren said as they walked in and all were surprised at what they saw. The room didn't look like one that could fit four students. It was more like the room of a mansion that could fit at least thirty to forty students. All ten students walked in with surprise still written on their faces.

"Oh, hey guys." Theodore said standing up from a leather chair. Then then waved his hand and the door behind them closed. "Please remember to close the door next time."

"How did you do all of this?!" Jaune asked.

"How else? Magic."

"Oh right. Heh heh heh."

"You said you wanted to talk to us about something?" Neptune asked.

"Yes, I did," Theodore said, "but first I would like to introduce you to the members of Team CATT."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Yang busted out in laughter, "Team CATT?!"

"It was either that, TACT, TTAC, or ACTT." The other three members of the team then walked right next to Theodore. "As you know the last name letter in the team is mine. The C is Clair Vermillion, the A is Argent Silvermane, and the other T is Titian Ironwood."

"Wait!" Weiss said, "Did you say Ironwood?"

"Yes, he did." Titian answered.

"How are you related to General Ironwood?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'm his son."

"HIS SON?!" everyone shouted.

"Yes, his son." Theodore said.

"Did you see the general today?!" Sun asked.

"Sadly, yes." Argent replied, "We all did when we went to report to the headmaster."

"Why did you say sadly?!" Ruby asked, "It should have been an honor!"

"It wasn't when we heard what happened between father and son." Clair said.

"What happened?" Nora asked.

"Have a seat, please." Theodore replied gesturing behind his friends. All ten students looked to see then chairs behind them. They all then walked to them and sat down. Theodore sat down in his own chair while Clair climbed onto the chandelier in the room, Argent sat on the floor, and Titian continued to stand.

"It started a few hours before class." Theodore began.

* * *

(A Few Hours Ago)

Theodore and his team got a call from Headmaster Ozpin to report to his office. All four were standing in the elevator waiting for it to reach the top floor.

"You think Ozpin is going to be pleased at what happened near the freeway?" Argent asked.

"If the man is anything like Theodore said, he'll let it slide." Clair answered which earned him a nod of agreement from the axe wielder.

"I hate elevators." Titian blurted out, "If there were stairs, I would've have taken them."

"Sorry you were inconvenienced." Theodore said, "We're almost there."

The elevator dinged signaling that they had arrived at the top floor. The doors opened to reveal Ozpin, Glynda, Port, Oobleck and General Ironwood all in the room. The four boys exited the elevator with Argent standing on Theodore's right, Clair on his left, and Titian right behind him.

"James may I introduce you to Theodore Constantine." Ozpin said while gesturing to the young sorcerer. The general looked shock at hearing what Ozpin said. Turning to Theodore and slowly walked up to him. He saw that the boy was only a foot shorter than him but was surprised all the way.

"Vale's Hometown Hero?" He asked.

"That's me." Theodore said holding his right hand out. The general took it and, to Theodore's relief, shook it slowly.

"It is an honor to meet you face to face." Ironwood said letting go of the boy's hand after six seconds of shaking. "These are your teammates I presume?"

"You presume correctly." Glynda answered, "Though the name will need some work."

"How so ma'am?" Argent asked. This caused the combat teacher to look up at him in surprise.

"What did you call me?" she asked.

"Ma'am." He said.

"Mr. Constantine never mentioned you had manners. It is good to know that Mr. Winchester has an opposite in this school."

"Thanks. I think. What about the name?"

"Well, there are many options. Sadly, none of them are of color. They would either must be TACT, TTAC, ACTT or CATT."

"Okay, the last one sounds a little insulting." Clair said. This earned him a glare from Glynda, but he didn't cower. He just gave her a neutral look.

"Young man." Port said to Clair, "Who might you be? I have never seen you before."

"That's my business."

"Ozpin." Ironwood said turning to the headmaster, "What is the Butcher doing here?"

The other three teachers looked surprised at hearing this. The most feared enemy of the White Fang was standing in the room.

"He has come here to do things the right way James." Ozpin replied in a matter of fact tone.

"The Butcher!" Oobleck exclaimed while dashing around Clair, "My boy! Do you know how long I have been wanting to meet you?! I-I-I mean…sure it would be dangerous, but I would specifically like to know how you are able to defeat an army of Faunus that use military tactics! If you would be okay with that!"

"Whether he is willing or not Oobleck," Ironwood said while walking up to Clair, "you can happily ask him anything when he is in chains."

"I didn't kill any of your men." Clair said in an angry tone.

"That doesn't excuse the danger you put other people in!"

"Which people?!" a new voice asked, "Everyone or just Atlas'?!"

Everyone turned to see where the voice came from. Theodore moved for General Ironwood to see a very familiar face. The owner of the voice, however, was not happy to see him.

"Titian?" Ironwood asked.

"In the flesh." Titian answered, "Why are you here? From experience, you usually take a simple situation and make it worse than it really is. Leave Clair alone."

"You're friends with this murderer?"

"Do you have any idea what he has been through? If you did, you wouldn't be threatening him. Also, Constantine is setting him on the right path."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to get an education, where I don't feel like I'm being forced into something I don't want to do! Like being taken to a soldier training camp when I was nine years old!"

"Son…"

"NO! DON'T CALL ME THAT! YOU LOST EVERY RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT WHEN YOU HAD ME FIGHT YOU IN A MOCK BATTLE!" Titian then removed a part of his armor from his left arm and pulled the sleeve back, past his elbow. Everyone saw a scar that ran from below his elbow all the way to the middle of his hand. "You did this to me! REMEMBER?!"

"I'm sure your father didn't mean any harm." Port said to Titian as he put the piece of armor back on.

"You sure?" he retorted, "Because he just stood over me as I bled out for five minutes until the doc showed up!"

"Titian, I think you, Clair, and Argent should leave." Theodore said, "It's starting to get personal and I think the last thing Ozpin wants is a fight that will make the school run red with blood."

"Indeed." Ozpin replied, "You three make take your leave."

Titian stomped to the elevator while Argent and Clair calmly walked. Once the doors had closed everyone turned to Ironwood. Port and Oobleck had looks of surprises on their faces. Ozpin had a neutral look. Theodore hand his arms crossed with an angry look and Glynda had one of anger as well.

"Is what the young man said true?" Glynda asked. The general gave a sigh of defeat and answered her.

"Yes." He said, "Everything Titian said…was true."

"What is wrong with you James?! He was just a boy!"

"He needed to toughen up."

"He's your son, not a soldier!"

"All the more reason- "He didn't get to finish as a fireball flew past his face. The general had a look of shock on his face and turned to see where it came from. He saw Theodore with his arms uncrossed and another fireball in his right hand. Ironwood looked to Ozpin for answers. The headmaster then looked to Theodore as if asking for permission.

"You can tell him." Theodore said. The headmaster then turned to the general.

"Mr. Constantine isn't using his semblance James." Ozpin said, "What he is using…is magic."

Ironwood looked at Theodore with surprise written all over his face. Theodore had put out the fire, manifested a chair out of nowhere and sat in it. He then told Ironwood everything that he had told Team RWBY, JNPR, Sun, Neptune, and the teachers. Once he was finished, the general looked at Ozpin.

"Why didn't you tell me about this the minute I got here?" he asked.

"It wasn't my secret to tell James." Ozpin replied, "I needed his permission first."

"Do you realize how much he could help?"

"Let's get one thing straight…general." Theodore said with anger in the last word, "Even if you were the last person on Remnant and learning about you from your son's personal experience I would never help you. From what I can see all you are capable of is bringing fear and distrust to everything and everyone around you."

"That is not true." Ironwood replied, "I bring security and safety to people."

"The bullheads full of soldiers and guns flying over Vale say otherwise. Ozpin I'll take my leave."

With that said the young sorcerer stepped into the elevator, pushed the button to the right floor and watched as the teachers disappeared from the doors closing.

* * *

"He did WHAT?!" Weiss exclaimed. Titian once again took off the armor part and showed everyone his left arm. Jaune cringed at the seeing the scar. Sun said a simple 'Ouch' while everyone else just looked shocked.

"I knew you said you had it rough in the army," Neptune said, "but I didn't think a superior officer would do that to a nine-year-old, let alone your father."

"There're a lot of things you didn't know that I left out." Titian said while putting the armor back on and holding his hand out to Neptune, "Either way, it's good to see you again Neptune."

"Same here." The blue haired student replied standing up, taking his hand and shaking it. Everyone looked to them in surprise.

"You two know each other?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." Neptune replied letting go of Titian's hand and turning to everyone, "I met Titian when we were fourteen. He was on a mission in Mistral and I ran into him by chance. He was there for at least five months and we got to know each other. It was a sad day when he had to go back to Atlas."

"Neptune was the only friend I had during my time in the army." Titian said, "I tried to keep in contact with him as much as possible. It is good to see him here, in Vale."

"Okay. I'm glad to see two friends reuniting after so long," Weiss interjected, "but Theodore said that this meeting was about something important?"

"Yes, I did. Neptune please sit back down." Theodore said to the blue haired student. He waited for everyone to be back in their places before speaking. "The reason I called you all here was to give you a warning about Cinder, Emerald and Mercury."

"What do you mean?" Nora asked.

"They're not who they say they are."

"How is that possible?" Pyrrha asked.

"I've crossed paths with them before and they looked like they were sapping the life out of someone. I stopped them, but I don't know the fate of the victim. I've haven't seen them in a while until now."

"So, you knew who they were when we ran into them?" Ruby asked earning a nod from Theodore. "What did you tell them after I left to get my board game?"

"I told them that if they stepped out of line they would be sorry."

"What exactly are you telling us to do?" Ren asked, "Not interact with them?"

"No, I'm asking you to not trust them. You can be friendly just don't believe everything they say and don't reveal any secrets. Can you do that?"

All ten students looked at each other before looking back at Theodore and nodding.

"All right. Thank you everyone." Theodore then stood up and walked to the door. He then opened it for them. "You're free to go."

Sun and Neptune exited the room first followed by Team JNPR.

"Jaune!" Theodore called out, "I'll see you and Pyrrha on the roof, tonight for training! Be sure to bring the claymore I gave you!"

"You got it!" Jaune replied and walked away. Team RWBY was exiting the room when Theodore touched Blake's shoulder causing her to stop and look at him. The rest of the team stopped as well.

"Blake, are you alright?" he asked, "You look tired, like you haven't slept in days. If it is about the White Fang, it's fine. Just stop looking for a while and get some rest. I'll still be looking for answers with my team if it is any comfort."

"Theodore, I appreciate your concern and the fact that you're helping with the info you gave us," Blake answered, "but I can't stop, not when lives are at stake. Again, thanks for your concern and offer to help, but I'm doing fine."

She then shrugged his shoulder off and walked out of the room. Theodore looked to the rest of the team with worry on his face. They had the same expressions as well.

"Can you get her to rest?" he asked.

"We'll try. Don't worry." Ruby answered.

"If it goes south, please let me know and I'll have Clair talk to her."

"Talk to her?!" Yang questioned, "Last time we heard, he nearly killed her."

"I've got him on a no kill rule. Don't worry, he won't try anything."

"I trust Theodore's judgement Yang." Weiss said earning a surprised look from the blonde brawler, "So far, he's been right. I don't see why he should be wrong now."

Yang looked to the young sorcerer and sighed.

"Alright," she said, "but if anything goes wrong…you answer to me."

"Deal." Theodore replied, and the remaining girls left the room. Once he had closed the door, the young sorcerer looked up at Clair.

"Talk to me." He said, and Clair jumped down from the chandelier and landed right in from of Theodore. "What can you tell me about Mercury?"

"When the side of my left palm was sliding down his legs during one of his blocks," Clair said, "I didn't feel flesh through his pants, but metal. Halfway to the kneecap though that is when I felt flesh."

"So, he's a cyborg."

"Yes."

"That explains why he fights with his feet. They are the most powerful part of his body. We'll have to take extra care if we get in a brawl with him. Thanks Clair." Theodore then walked to where Titian was, sitting on a desk working on a scroll. "What have you got?"

"I was able to get the video from the hidden camera in Tukson's store," Clair said while pulling up the file which had only static showing, "but it's corrupted just like the other two. I guess some viruses decided to make themselves at home in the cameras."

"How long will it take for the videos to be watchable?"

"They're already 21% done, but it will at least take them till the Vytal Tournament to be viewable. I can try to speed it up if you like, though the risk is losing some of the footage."

"Don't take the risk. This is evidence we have against Cinder and her cronies. We shouldn't lose any because we tried to rush things."

"When are we going to get them?" Argent asked while doing push-ups.

"Not now. We'll wait for them to strike first. They'll make a mistake and then that will be our opportunity. Besides, I don't want to try anything with the dance coming up."

"Alright. Speaking of the dance, do you guys have a girl in mind to dance with?"

* * *

"You what?!" Blake asked her teammates. All four of them were in their dorm with Ruby and Weiss sitting on the bottom bunk on the left side of the room while Blake and Yang were sitting on the one opposite of them. Night had fallen on Vale and that's when the rest of the team decided to talk to their tired teammate.

"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby said.

"That's ridiculous!"

"Blake, we're worried about you." Yang stated, "This investigation is starting to mess with your head."

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest your grades have been suffering." Weiss added.

"You think I care about grades?!" Blake retorted, "Peoples lives are at stake!"

"We know," Yang interjected, "and we're all still trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to."

"Thanks to you, Sun and Clair," Ruby said, "we know they're operating somewhere outside of Southeast Vale."

"And the Schnee Company records singled out Vale as the primary target for dust robberies over the last few months." Weiss stated.

"Don't forget about their missing military tech too." Yang added.

"But there are still unanswered questions!" Blake said.

"Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't even keep your eyes open." Ruby stated.

"All we're asking is that you take it easy for one day." Yang said.

"It will be fun." Weiss added, "Yang and I will make sure of it."

"Yeah! We're planning the whole event!"

"Excuse me?!" Blake asked.

"Team CFVY's away mission lasted longer than expected." Weiss explained.

"So, Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off," Yang added. "and now we can make sure you have the perfect night."

"And once it's all over, we'll return to our search, rested and ready."

"So, what do you think?" Ruby asked. They waited five seconds for Blake's answer.

"I think this is a colossal waste of time." The disguised Faunus said, then got off the bed and headed to the door. "I'll be in the library." She then made her exit.

All three girls were saddened by the answer that their teammate had given them. Yang let out a sigh of defeat.

"Great." She said.

"She can't keep going like this." Weiss said and pulled out her scroll to let Theodore know that they had no luck. Before she could text him though, there was knocking at the door. Weiss put her scroll away and walked to the door. Opening it, she, Ruby and Yang were surprised to see Titian standing there in a white Tuxedo with red outlines complete with pants and a top hat of the same design. Titian removed the top hat and held it against his chest.

"Ms. Schnee- "he didn't get to finish as the door was slammed in his face. After a few more knocks on the door, Weiss once again opened it. "Did I offend you in some way?"

"No, I just needed to wrap my head around the fact that you're wearing a tuxedo." She said, "Why are you wearing one, anyway?"

"Neptune and I were debating on whether I should go to the dance in this or my uniform."

"And you came to me for an opinion?"

"No, I was going to see Neptune about it when I saw your dorm, so I stopped."

"What did you stop for?"

"Ahem. Ms. Schnee, I was wondering if…if you…if you would…Gah! Why is this so hard?!"

"Why is what so hard?" Yang asked.

"Asking a girl to the dance." Realizing what he just said, Titian's face turned red from embarrassment. Weiss was also blushing, while Yang and Ruby were trying not to laugh. The boy standing at the door could fight off an advanced military weapon without even flinching, but when asking their teammate to the dance he was shaking in his boots. Finally, recovering from his embarrassment, he straightened himself and once again addressed Weiss.

"Would you like to come to the dance with me, Ms. Schnee?" he finally asked. His answer was Weiss slamming the door in his face, her face still red from embarrassment. "So, that's a no?" He asked through the door.

"Yes, that's a no." she replied, "I will say this though. A tuxedo doesn't suit you. You would probably look better in uniform. Also, please tell Theodore that Blake didn't listen to us."

"Thanks for the info and I will. Have a good night." They all then heard as he walked away from the door. Weiss looked to see Ruby with a confused face and Yang with a smirk.

"What?!" she asked.

"And that is why they call you the Ice Queen." Yang replied.

"All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name. Besides, I already have a date in mind."

"Date or no date." Ruby said, "None of this will matter if we can't get Blake to go."

* * *

On the roof, Jaune was training with Theodore with his claymore. Both boys were trading blows from each other at a moderate pace. The blonde knight had just finished sparring with Pyrrha, so Theodore decided to train Jaune in defensive maneuvers. While swinging his sword, the young sorcerer forced Jaune onto one knee and brought his sword down. He was surprised to see him react by holding the claymore with up above his head horizontally. The move was successful in blocking his attack.

"Well done, Jaune." Theodore said while putting his sword down, "You're doing well on your defensive skills. You just need to improve on attacking."

"Thanks Theodore. Couldn't have done it without you or Pyrrha." Jaune replied while getting up. He then held up the sword. "This is an amazing weapon. What metal is it made of?"

"It's a metal from my world. The same metal my sword is made of. Promethium."

"Promethium?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yes. That's what it's called. It's also the same metal Clair's gauntlets are made of." Theodore then turned to Jaune, "Well, you ready to go on to aura? I'm sure Pyrrha would be happy to help."

"Actually, I'm a little tired." Jaune replied, "Do you mind if I just head to bed Pyrrha?"

"Of course not." She said, "See you in the morning."

Once Jaune was out of sight, Pyrrha's smile turned into a frown. This did not go unnoticed by Theodore.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Jaune is having trouble with something, but he won't tell me." She replied, "Maybe I should talk to him in the morning."

"Let me talk to him Pyrrha. It's probably something embarrassing that he is afraid of discussing."

"But Theodore- "

"Pyrrha please. I know you want to help, but there are some things that even guys are sensitive about talking of in front of girls. I think that's what it's about."

The Invincible Girl thought about what Theodore said and came to a conclusion.

"Okay." She said, "You go ahead. I think he's more open to you than me."

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Theodore replied, "Now, I'm going to head to bed. See you in the morning."

Before the young sorcerer could head inside, he heard his name being called.

"Theodore!" Pyrrha nearly shouted, "Do you see Jaune as a friend?"

That question caught Theodore off guard. It was true that Jaune was his friend, but he had started feel very close as if the blonde knight was family. He turned back to Pyrrha.

"I seem him as a brother more than a friend." He answered with a smile. That also made Pyrrha smile. Theodore then headed inside the building to go to bed.

* * *

"Clair Vermillion." Emerald announced the name to Cinder who was doing some sewing. Both she and Mercury were in their leader's dorm. While the grey-haired boy was reading a comic, the green haired girl was reading information on certain students, and Theodore's tiger Faunus teammate happened to be one of them.

"Aaah. The Butcher." Cinder said without looking up, "The Scourge of the White Fang. Possibly the weakest member of Constantine's band of misfits."

"I wouldn't call him weak." Mercury said. "There's a reason the White Fang fear him."

"Do tell."

"What do you mean?" Emerald asked, "You beat him with ease at the end."

"Were you not watching?" Mercury retorted putting the comic down and sitting up, "I used one of my most powerful kicks and he caught it, with his teeth. He uses an ancient form of martial arts that's like five hundred years old and makes my style look like it's meant for amateurs. The name has been forgotten through the years, but obviously the style hasn't. He could have easily defeated me from the very beginning. All in all, he was holding back. He let himself get hit."

"Now that you mention it, I noticed that Theodore had his full attention on the fight. Also, before you sent Clair out of the ring, I saw him give a hand signal to the tiger. Maybe, he was telling him to lose. Do you think he's studying us?"

"Huh. We study the students for their strengths and weaknesses," Cinder summarized, "and Constantine studies us for ours. Clever boy. Add him and his whole team to the list."

Emerald punched a few buttons on her scroll and Team CATT was added to the list.

"Taking them down is going to be a problem." Mercury added, "Especially if their leader can use magic."

"It's not about over powering the enemy." Cinder corrected, "It's about taking away what power they have, and we will…in time."

"Ugh. I hate waiting."

"Don't worry, Mercury. We have a fun weekend ahead of us."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everyone! Sorry for making you wait so long. My month was hectic with both signing up for college and visiting family. I hope these two chapters will be what you were hoping for. Thank you for your patience. Sentinel Prime, out!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Ruby sat at a table, thinking about Blake and how she has been acting. She was worried about her teammate because of her obsession to find answers. She was pulled from her thoughts by Weiss who slammed two pieces of table cloth in front of her.

"I need you to pick a table cloth." The heiress said showing the samples to Ruby. The silver eyed girl looked at the identical pieces then back at Weiss.

"Aren't they both the same?" she asked.

"Grr! I don't even know why I asked!"

Weiss then walked away with the samples in her hand. Ruby then went back to thinking about Blake. Behind her Yang placed a speaker her height on the floor. Dusting off her hands, the blonde brawler stood next to her little sister.

"So, have you picked out a dress yet?" she asked.

"What's the point?" Ruby replied, "Who cares about the dance if Blake isn't going?"

"Oh, don't worry." Theodore's voice said next to them. Both sisters looked to see him finish another row of chairs. He then walked over to them. "She's going. Clair will see to that."

"Hey Boss!" Argent called. All three looked to see him carrying a speaker, the same size as Yang's, with one hand. "Where do you want this?"

"Put it on the left side of the stage." Theodore answered. The silver haired axe wielder did as he was told and placed the speaker down, close to the stage. Hearing a whistle, Argent turned to see Yang waving at him.

"Hey, Argent!" she called, "Can you come over here please?"

He nodded and walked over to where Yang, Ruby, and Theodore were.

"What is it Yang?" he asked.

"Can you please flex your muscles on one of your arms?" she said with puppy dog eyes, "I want to see how hard they are."

"If you insist."

Argent then stretched his left arm all the way out and flex his bicep. Yang walked over to him and touched the muscle. She started to run her hands all over his beefy arm.

"Why does he call you boss?" Ruby asked Theodore.

"He just thinks it's appropriate since we work together." He replied.

"Mama like." Yang said while running her hands on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you like that I keep myself fit Yang," Argent interjected, "but shouldn't we finish decorating the place?"

"Awww. You're no fun." Yang playfully said, but her attitude went from joking to annoyance when she turned around. "Weiss! I thought we agreed. No Doylies!"

"If I don't get Doylies, you don't get fog machines!" the heiress said getting in Yang's face. Their disagreement was interrupted when they heard the doors open and close. Turning to the source, everyone saw Sun and Neptune walk into the hall.

"Your dance is going to have fog machines?" Neptune asked.

"We were thinking about it." Weiss answered.

"That's pretty cool."

"You ladies all excited for dress up?" Sun asked.

"Pfft. Yeah right." Ruby said.

"Laugh all you want." Yang retorted, "I'll be turning heads tomorrow night."

"What are you two wearing?" Weiss asked Sun and Neptune.

"Uhhhh this." Sun said while pointing to what he was wearing now.

"Ignore him," Neptune said, "for he knows not what he says."

"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vaccuo. It's not exactly a shirt and tie kind of place."

"Yeah, we've noticed." Argent said looking unimpressed as well as the rest of the group.

"So, uh, what does Blake think of all this? She still being all, you know…Blakey?"

"Obviously." Weiss replied.

"I still can't think of a way to change her mind." Ruby said.

"Guys." Theodore intervened, "I already told you. Blake will be at the dance. Clair will see to that."

"Speaking of Clair, Boss," Argent said reaching behind his back, "he wanted me to give you these to hold onto."

He placed something on the table where Ruby was sitting, and everyone was surprised to see Clair's gauntlets in front of them.

"He left his gauntlets?" Theodore asked, "Why?"

"Clair believed that he could be less intimidating in talking to Blake without have his Claws of Death on him."

"Good point." Theodore then opened his trench coat and slipped the gauntlets into one of his pockets. Sun, Neptune, and Weiss had surprised looks on their faces. Theodore looked at them and just padded his coat.

"Inter dimensional pockets. Bigger on the inside." He said and started to walk away. He then heard a scream and turned around to see Yang with her gauntlets, Ember Celia, activated. She was pointing them at one of the flower pots with balloons attached.

"What's wrong?!" he asked.

"I saw a flying woman!" Yang said, "She just merged with the flower pot!"

"That's impossible Yang!" Weiss retorted.

"Flying woman merge with- "Theodore stopped mid-sentence and walked to the flower pot. "I told you to stay in the dorm!"

Everyone thought Theodore went crazy but were shocked to see that Yang was right in saying what she saw. A flying woman emerged from the flower pot. She had blue eyes and black hair that reached to her back and looked to be 5'8". She wore a suit identical to the one Theodore wore when he did his magic show. She was floating a few feet off the ground.

"I came looking for you because you were taking forever." She said, "Also I wanted to see how you were getting along with your friends."

"Seriously?" he asked, "You could've told me before I came here to hang up decorations."

"Uh, Theodore," Ruby said with some fear in her voice, "Who is that?"

"Yeah, and how do you know her?!" Yang demanded.

"Excuse me, don't you think…wait a second." The woman said and flew to the five frightened students, "You all can see me?"

"Uh, yeah." Sun replied in a scared manner.

"Theodore how can they see me? I thought only your team could."

"They were exposed to some powerful magic when one of them messed with my spell book." Theodore said looking directly at Sun.

"Theodore who or what is she?!" Weiss asked. Theodore just sighed and gestured to the woman.

"Everyone, meet my mom," he announced, "or her ghost at least. Zatanna Zatara Constantine."

All five students looked at Zatanna then back at Theodore both out of surprise and looking for a resemblance.

 _Now that I see her closely,_ Ruby thought to herself. _She does have the same color of hair and eyes as he does._

"Your m-m-mom?" Sun stuttered.

"Her g-g-ghost?!" Neptune asked while shaking in his boots.

"Uh, yeah." Theodore replied in a matter of fact tone.

"I'm gonna go get some air." Sun said and ran full speed out of the hall.

"Yeah, me too." Neptune added, following his partner.

"Should've known that was going to happen." Zatanna said while watching the boys run away. "They were probably taught that there are no such things as ghosts."

"Yeah, probably." Theodore said. The three girls just looked at them in shock. Their friend, Vale's Hometown Hero, was talking to what he claimed was his mother's ghost. Weiss then looked to Argent and was more surprised to see he was not shocked.

"How come your not surprised?" she asked.

"Because I could already see her for quite some time." He answered.

"What?!"

"When you work with Theodore as long as I have, you tend to start seeing the things he sees. By the way, she's right behind you."

The heiress turned around to see Zatanna a few inches from her face. This caused her to shriek and jump a few feet back. The ghost just floated towards where she had landed, right next to Ruby and Yang.

"So, you are three members of the famous Team RWBY my son has been telling me so much about." She said with a smile.

"Um…yeah." Yang replied finally relaxing and smiling, "We are. I'm Yang Xiao Long. This is Weiss Schnee and sitting on the chair is my little sister-"

"Ruby Rose." Zatanna interrupted and floated towards the silver eyed girl.

"How did you know?" Ruby asked.

"Theodore told me about you." The ghost replied, "How much of a good leader you are, how well you work with your teammates, how optimistic you are and that you were his first friend here."

"Really?"

"Mm-hm. I'm so happy my Little Magician found someone special to go to the dance with."

"MOM!" Theodore exclaimed out of shock and embarrassment after hearing what his mother had said, "I HAVEN'T EVEN ASKED HER YET!"

He put his hands over his mouth after realizing what he just said. Looking towards the group, they all had different reactions. Zatanna had one of shock realizing what she just revealed. Argent was trying not to laugh at what he heard. Weiss had a smile on her face, possibly already knowing he was going to ask her partner to the dance. Ruby face was as red as her cape. Yang on the other hand, looked like she was about to explode. Her face supported a scowl, her eyes were red, and her hair was glowing like it was on fire. She cocked her gauntlets which got surprised looks from everyone.

"Run." She said to Theodore.

"With pleasure." He replied, fear laced in his voice, and ran out the door. Once it had closed behind him, Yang let out an angry shout and chased after him.

"I'll go make sure she doesn't kill him." Argent said and ran out of the hall as well.

"She we also make sure that Theodore doesn't get hurt?" Ruby asked Weiss.

"Absolutely!" the heiress replied and both students, followed by Zatanna, ran in the direction Theodore, Yang, and Argent went.

* * *

Blake was in the library, doing research on one of the computers. She looked as if she could fall asleep at any moment but refused to. She was typing in some words when a red dot appeared on the screen. Watching move around, it went onto her hand and then vanished. Looking behind her, Blake tried to find the source of the laser light. She couldn't see anyone doing it though and continued her research.

Right as she began to type again, the red dot appeared again on her hand. Looking behind her, she once again tried to find the source. No one looked to be sitting anywhere close to her. All the students in the library were either on a computer or reading books. Blake turned back to the computer to find the red dot, moving around on the screen again. She let out a groan of anger and slammed her fists on the desk. She then got out of the chair she was sitting in and stood up to look for the source. She saw the red dot on the floor moving away from her and decided to follow it.

 _I don't have time for this!_ She thought to herself, _If this is Cardin's idea of a joke, he's going to learn not to bother me the hard way!_

Blake followed the red dot to an isle between two book shelves. She stopped when she saw a pair of black boots. She immediately recognized them and looked up to see Clair with a laser pen in his hand. He then turned it off and put it in his pocket.

"Afternoon." He said.

"What're are you…?"

"We need to talk." Clair then grabbed Blake by her wrist and dragged her out of the library.

* * *

Ren walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and clean. He let out a sigh of relief and started walked towards where his clothes were (he had only a towel wrapped around his waist) before he was stopped by Jaune.

"We need to talk." The blond-haired knight said before pulled Ren to one of the beds, making him drop his bottle of Samurai Shampoo in the process. When they sat of one of the beds though, they heard a groan. Standing up Jaune looked under the bed to see Theodore.

"What are you doing under there?" he asked.

"Hiding from Yang." The young sorcerer replied in a whispering tone.

"Well, she's not here, so why don't you come out from under the bed and sit up here? You look uncomfortable and I was hoping to talk to both you and Ren."

Theodore crawled out from under and stood up. While fixing his coat though, he was shocked to see Ren in only a bath towel. Removing his coat, Theodore waved it around Ren replacing his towel with his normal attire, making him fully dressed.

"Thank you." Ren said with a smile.

"You're welcome." Theodore replied while putting his coat back on. He then sat on Jaune's left while Ren was sitting on Jaune's right. "You wanted to talk to us about something?"

"Ren, Theodore…" Jaune started, "I'm just going to come out and say it. You guys are two of my best friends. These past few months I feel like we've really bonded, even you don't say much Ren. I mean you're really quiet, while Theodore will gladly have a conversation with anyone. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that much about you personally, but DARN IT! I CONSIDER BOTH YOU AND THEODORE THE BROTHERS I NEVER HAD!"

"I'm…honored." Theodore replied.

"And I you." Ren said.

"Which is why I wanted to get both of your advice on…girls." Jaune continued.

"Girls?" Theodore and Ren asked at the same time.

"I just…" Jaune hesitated, "Don't know…how to…girls. Um, I, uhh. I'm guess what I'm asking is…well…Theodore, how do you get girls to fawn over you so easily, and Ren, how did you and Nora…well…you know."

"I'm sorry, what?!" Theodore exclaimed.

"Uh, uh, uh…" Ren staggered surprised. All three boys then heard someone clear their throat. They looked to see Nora on her bed, sitting up while reading a book, she was wearing a black t-shirt with the word BOOP on it. The last O had a hammer on it. She was also wearing pink shorts with lighting bolt on them. Around her neck were pink headphones which had music playing out of them.

"Heh, heh, heh." She laughed in an embarrassed manner before speaking. "We're not actually… together, together."

"NORA! I SAID HEADPHONES ON!" Jaune exclaimed, to which the she placed her accessory back on her head, covering her ears and blocking out the conversation.

"Jaune, what is this all about?" Ren asked.

"Ok, first off, I don't like when the girls fawn over me. It gets annoying and to be honest, it's kind of creepy. Second, answer Ren's question."

Jaune let out a sigh before answering.

"It's Pyrrha." He said, "I'm completely head over heels for her and…I don't even have the courage to ask her out to the dance. I'm mean she's incredible. She's strong, smart, and beautiful. While I'm…almost an average guy. I bet there are so many other guys asking her to the dance as we speak. I don't even know if she'd want to go with me."

Jaune felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Theodore with a comforting smile on his face.

"Dude, you've got more courage than you let on." He said, "You came to Beacon knowing you might get thrown out. You saved mine and Cardin's lives in the Emerald Forest. Most importantly though, you kept my secret from being known to all of Remnant. I don't know about you, but I think that from all that you definitely have the courage to ask Pyrrha out to the dance."

"Would she even accept me though?"

"Why not ask her yourself?"

Jaune gave Theodore a confused look after hearing what he just said. The young sorcerer gestured to the door and the knight saw the girl he was talking about standing right there. Jaune supported a surprised look on his face while also worrying about one thing.

"H-how much of that did you hear?" Jaune asked Pyrrha nervously.

"The part where you admitted how you felt up to Theodore telling you how much courage you have." She replied, "Which is also true, Jaune. You have so much courage that you don't see yet."

Hearing those words from his partner made Jaune a little more confident. Turning back to Theodore, he saw his friend gesture to Pyrrha with a smile on his face. Jaune took in a deep breath and then exhaled.

"It's now or never." He said to himself then stood up and walked to Pyrrha he was standing right in front of her. He then summoned all the courage he had and asked her the question he had been wanting to ask for a while. "Pyrrha…would you…do the me the honors of…coming to the dance…with me…as my partner?"

Five seconds passed before Pyrrha responded.

"Of course, I would Jaune." She said with a smile on her face. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear you ask that."

Hearing that put a smile on Jaune's face. Seeing that everything was cleared up, Theodore stoop up from the bed and made his way towards the door. Checking that the coast was clear, he walked out and was about to leave when Jaune called him.

"Theodore." The knight asked, "Why are you hiding from Yang?"

"It's a little complicated." Theodore replied while turning to face Jaune. He was about to go on when he heard footsteps. Turning to his left he saw Yang standing at the end of the hallway, her eyes still read, hair dancing with flames, and gauntlets at the ready.

"CONSTANTINE!" she shouted and dashed towards him. Theodore ran the other way and top speed hoping to lose her. Team JNPR watched as Yang chased down the hallway and out of sight. They then heard another set of foot steps and looked to see Argent running in the same direction. Hearing another set of footsteps, they saw Ruby and Weiss going in that direction as well.

"We should probably follow them," Jaune said to his team, "and make sure Yang doesn't hurt Theodore badly, while also finding out what's going on."

His whole team nodded in agreement. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren went after them while Nora changed into her usual attire. It took her five seconds to change and three seconds to catch up to them.

* * *

Theodore had thought he had lost Yang in the courtyard and was catching his breath in the combat classroom. He was wrong. Hearing the doors slam open he saw Yang standing there, ready to pounce.

"Yang, please." Theodore pleaded, "I really don't want to have an unnecessary fight."

"Too bad," she growled back, "because this is going to HURT!"

With that said she leapt towards Theodore. Weiss, Ruby, Argent, and Team JNPR caught up just in time to see Yang flying towards the young sorcerer. What they didn't expect though was to see the blond brawler miss her target and slam face first into the wall. After three seconds of just staying in place there like a cartoon, she fell to the floor on her back. She started to get up and everyone feared for Theodore's safety they were surprised, however, too see Yang dusting herself off in a calm state. When she opened her eyes though, everyone got a shock.

Instead of the normal iliac color when she was calm or the red when she was angry, her eyes were blue. When she looked at Theodore, she spoke to him in a calm voice.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Yang asked which got a surprised look from everyone. The tone of her voice held a more mature tone to it.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Theodore replied, "What do you think?"

"This girl has strong arms and strong legs. For a minute I thought I was taking control of Kara."

"Good to know." Without warning, Theodore punched Yang in the left arm with an angry look on his face. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! DO YOU WANT ME TO GET SENT TO THE INFIMARY OR AN EARLY GRAVE?!"

"First off, don't yell at your mother!" Yang replied, "Second, don't hit your mother! Third, how was I supposed to know she would react like that?!"

"I specifically remember telling you about Yang's temper!"

"Um, Yang." Ruby called, "Why are you saying all those weird things?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, darling." Yang replied, looking at Ruby. Everyone was shocked to see Zatanna exit Yang's body. The blond brawler collapsed onto her hands and knees but quickly recovered. She stood up with her eyes their normal color with a confused look on her face.

"What just happened?!" she asked Theodore.

"My mom just possessed you." He replied.

"Your mom?!" Team JNPR asked. Seeing the new addition to the crowd, Theodore introduced them to his mom. At the mention of her being a ghost, Jaune fainted. Luckily, Argent caught him before he could hit the floor.

"Why was Yang trying to pulverize Theodore?" Pyrrha asked Weiss.

"Because his mom revealed that he wanted to go to the dance with Ruby." Weiss answered which caused Ruby to blush.

"OHHH! THAT IS SO ADORABLE!" Nora exclaimed.

"Just when were you going to tell me this Theodore?!" Yang asked him in an angry tone.

"When we were done decorating." He replied, "I was hoping to ask your permission to take her to the dance first."

"My permission?"

"I couldn't ask your dad since he's not here."

"Good point." Yang then grabbed Theodore by the collar of his trench coat and pulled him out of the classroom and to the dorms.

"I hope the meeting goes well." Ren said while watching the two leave.

* * *

"Clair, if you're going to tell me to stop you may as well just save your breath." Blake said to the tiger Faunus. Both were in a different classroom, away from everyone else. While Blake was pacing around Clair was sitting on the desk, crossed legged while watching her.

"I don't want you to stop." He replied in a calm voice, "I want you to slow down."

"We don't…have the luxury to slow down." Blake said back, halting her pace while looking at him.

"It's not a luxury. It's a necessity."

"The necessity is stopping Torchwick!"

"And we're going to, but first you have to sit down and listen to what I have to say."

"Fine." Blake sat down in front of him on the same desk.

"I never told anyone about my past. Not even Theodore." He started, "You're going to be the first."

"Your…past?" she asked.

"Yeah. I came from what you might call a strange family. I didn't know my mother's occupation other than she could fight. She was a tiger Faunus. My father…he was a human sailor, commanding his own ship."

"Your father was human?!" Blake interrupted with surprise on her face.

"Yeah." Clair said with a sad smile. "I'm what you might call a…half breed. Anyway, while traveling the seas he met my mother on one of his voyages. You know how the story goes, they fell in love, got married and had me. Not only was I their son, but proof that humans and Faunus could coexist in harmony. Being half though had its downsides. I was feared and hated by both races. The only love that I got was from my parents. Sadly, there was no happily ever after for either of them. When I was nine years old, my father was killed in a hate crime because he married a Faunus. My mother retaliated in the most brutal way. She killed them, with her bare hands."

"I'm so sorry." Blake said in a sad voice, "It must have been very hard on you."

"It was. It was also hard on my mother too. Fearing for my safety she took me to a remote village, hidden in the forests of Mistral. She left me there with a foster family, hoping I would be safe and loved. I never saw her again."

"Were you?" Blake asked.

"Was I what?" Clair replied.

"Were you accepted and loved?"

"I was. Turns out, the couple were also human and Faunus, but the other way around. Not only was I accepted by them but also by the whole village."

"What was it called?"

"Shambala." Hearing this got a look of surprise from Blake.

"I've heard of that village! Humans and Faunus were coexisting peacefully…until a wildfire broke out and destroyed-Clair I don't understand what this has to do with me! "

"Because in a way you and I a similar. We never stopped when devoted to do something, except mine wasn't for answers. It was for vengeance."

"Vengeance?" Clair got off the desk and looked away from Blake, staring at the chalk board. Blake stood up as well and noticed that he wasn't wearing his gauntlets.

"Tell me, Blake." He said after ten seconds of silence. "Do you know what it's like…to lose…everything?"

"No."

"A wildfire didn't destroy Shambala."

"What do you mean?"

"Five years ago, four years after being accepted into the village and making lots of friends, we got a visit…from the White Fang."

"What?!"

"Adam was leading the group. They all had weapons and looked as if they were preparing for an attack. I didn't know what was going on, but my foster father told me to stay inside the house. I watched from the window as he went outside to face Adam. He said there was no need for violence and that both races could coexist in peace and happiness. Adam answered him…by cutting him down. I was horrified by what I saw. My foster mother told me to run and being so scared I did as I was told, not expecting to see something so horrific, it would haunt for the rest of my life. I looked back to see my village being destroyed, my friends being killed. Young, old, women, children, human, and Faunus. He killed them all. He killed them just to hide the fact that both races could live together without bloodshed. I lost everything that night to the White Fang. To this day, I can still smell the smoke and hear their screams."

Blake had a horrified look on her face. She knew that Adam used extreme measures, but never that extreme. She saw him as an extremist, but never a monster.

"Clair…" she sputtered out, "I…how could…I didn't know he did such a thing."

"I guessed that you didn't." The tiger Faunus replied, "You look like the person who only kills if deemed absolutely necessary. Adam probably hid the information from you, fearing that you would leave the minute you learned of the genocide he committed. I attacked the White Fang for five years straight hoping to draw Adam out of hiding. During that time, I didn't notice that I had become like him…a monster."

"I'm so sorry for what happened to you," Blake said while wiping away the tears that were threatening to come out, "and I understand now why you hate the White Fang so much and what you're trying to tell me, but this is different. I'm not a child and this isn't just a search for answers! I can't just- "

"I told you! I'm not telling you to stop!" Clair interrupted with his fists clenched. "I haven't. I still want Adam to pay for what he did. Though, instead of revenge, I was taught by Theodore Constantine to want justice in four simple words. A part of me wants to see Adam behind bars while I still struggle with the idea of killing him. Either way, I won't let either of those impulses control me. We're going to find the answers we're looking for Blake, but if we destroy ourselves in the process then what good are we?"

"You don't understand!" Blake said with an angry look, "I'm the only one who can do this!"

"No!" Clair said, turning to Blake with an angry look of his own, "You don't understand that you're not the only one in this. That and you're past the point of exhaustion! Tell me, if Roman Torchwick walked through that door, what would you do?!"

"I'd fight him!"

"You'd lose!" Clair said while giving Blake a small shove, causing her to support herself on the desk. She recovered and tried to push Clair but couldn't put any strength into it because of her current condition.

"I could stop him!" she said.

"YOU CAN'T EVEN STOP ME!" The tiger Faunus said and shoved her onto the desk. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW YOUR TEAMMATES AND FRIENDS FEEL RIGHT NOW?! HOW WORRIED THEY ARE ABOUT YOU?!"

At the mention of her team and friends Blake looked up at him with anger on her face. It quickly turned to surprise, however, when she saw something. There were tears in Clair's eyes. She thought it must have been from talking about his home, Shambala, and the sadness coming back again. She stood up to comfort him but didn't expect him to hug her.

"I'm not asking you to stop." he said in a calmer voice, "I'm asking you as one of Faunus blood and a friend. Please, get some rest. Not just for you, but for the people you care about. Also, if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance."

Saying that, he let go and walked away. Blake watched him walk around the desk as he wiped the tears from his eyes. As he made his way up the steps though, something clicked in her mind, something she needed to know.

"Clair!" she called causing the tiger Faunus to stop and look at her. "What were the four words that Theodore said to you that made you change your ways?"

"His exact words were, 'There's been enough killing.'" He said and exited the classroom. Blake let out a sigh and exited the classroom.

* * *

Yang was at the entrance of the hall, waiting for guests so that she could sign them in. She was dressed in a white, sleeveless dress that reached to her knees. Argent was standing right next to her, wearing a silver tuxedo with green outlines. He had also combed his hair to make himself look more presentable.

"When will your sister get here?" he asked.

"Theodore is supposed to bring her." Yang answered. On cue, both saw Ruby and Theodore walk through the door. The blonde's face went from surprise to excitement at seeing her sister. She started jumping up and down while saying "Oh! You look beautiful!"

Ruby walked in on shaky legs with Theodore right behind her. She wore a red and dark grey, sleeveless dress, with a bow on her left side, that reached half way to her knees, complete with dark grey leggings and black high heeled shoes. That was the reason she was shaking, because she felt off balance. Theodore wore a black tuxedo with white outlines. He was standing behind Ruby to make sure she didn't fall.

"Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby asked before almost stumbling. Theodore decide to stand next to her and offered his arm for support. The silver eyed student gladly grabbed his arm and leaned on him for support. Yang was laughing while Argent was recording the whole thing with his scroll. Theodore shot him a look that said, 'If you post it, you'll be in trouble.'

Outside Sun was walking with Clair on his left. The monkey Faunus didn't look any different expect for his black short sleeved, V-cut shirt with a light blue tie with it. The tiger Faunus wore a tuxedo that was black with orange outlines.

"Stupid, dumb, neck trap." Sun said stopping in his tracks to fix his tie. Clair stopped as well and turned to help his companion with his tie. Just as he finished though, they both heard a voice that was addressed to Sun.

"I knew you'd look better in a tie." It said. Looking towards the source, both boys saw Blake standing a few feet from them. She wore a black, short sleeved dress that reached to her knees. Complete with her usual bow on her head, she looked stunning. Clair smiled at seeing that she was rested and smiling. He smiled even more when she walked up to Sun and wrapped her left around his right arm. Both started to walk to the dance with Clair on Blake's right.

"So, does this mean we're going…together?" Sun asked hopefully.

"Technically," Blake answered then looked to Clair, "but my first dance is spoken for."

Everyone was enjoying themselves at the dance. Most students were dancing with one another and some were just enjoying the company of talking with each other. Blake had just finished her dance with Clair and both took a bow. She was surprised that he could dance, considering that most of his life was composed of battles. Pushing those thoughts aside, she started to dance with Sun and was enjoying every moment, laughing in the process. She looked to were Clair was standing and saw her teammates along with Theodore watching with smiles of their own. She flashed a look to Clair that said, 'Thank you.'

"You were right when you said she would come." Yang said to the Theodore.

"Yes, he was." Clair said.

"Mission accomplished." Weiss said, who was dressed in a grey and white, sleeveless drees that reached halfway down her thighs.

"So…what do we do now?" Ruby asked.

"Is that a trick question?" Theodore said.

"Just have fun!" Yang said and everyone except Theodore walked away from to do their own thing.

"Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?!" Ruby asked but was answered with silence even from Theodore. "Stupid, lady stilts."

"Don't say that." Theodore said, "To me, you look amazing."

"You think so?" Ruby asked with a blush.

"Think so? I know so."

"Not enjoying yourselves?" The familiar voice of Ozpin asked Ruby. Both students looked to see the headmaster standing behind them.

"Oh! No, heh heh, everything's fine." Ruby replied, "I'm just not much of a fancy, pansy…dancy girl."

"What of you, Mr. Constantine?" The headmaster asked the young sorcerer.

"I did magic acts with my mom since I was eight." Theodore replied, "I don't mind parties. I just don't like being crowded."

"Well, you can't spend your entire lives on the battle fields, even if you may want to."

"Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately." Ruby replied with a sour look.

"If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked, although, one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle."

"It's not everyday that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these dare ones we'll never forget."

"On that note," Theodore said, standing in front of Ruby and holding out his right hand to her, "Ruby Rose, would you like to dance with me?"

"Me? Dance?" Ruby said while blushing, "I-I-I-I'm sorry, Theodore. I really don't know how."

"It's okay. I've got steel toed shoes, so that even if you step on my foot, I'll be all right."

Hearing that almost caused Ruby to laugh. She held it in though and placed her left hand in his with a smile. Both then walked to the dance floor and started to dance. Argent was watching from the entrance until her heard the door open. Turning he saw Emerald and Mercury walk in. The thief was wearing a green and black sleeveless dress that reached to her knees while the assassin wore a black tuxedo with orange outlines.

"You guys are just in time." Argent said with a smile while trying the hold the hostilely inside. He didn't trust them or their leader at all and was worried that they would try something on a night such as this.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Mercury said with a smile.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everyone. School has been a real hassle, but I was able to finish and post another chapter. Thank you for your continued support and patience. Sentinel Prime, out!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Everyone was enjoying themselves at the dance. Some students were either dancing or having conversations with one another. Even the professors were enjoying themselves. Port was laughing at something that Oobleck had told him, either a funny recollection or just a plain joke. Ozpin and Glynda were just watching in Ironwood showed up and asked the combat instructor to dance with him, which she accepted. Ruby and Theodore were on the dance floor trying to dance. The silver eyed student was having trouble and was mostly stepping on the young sorcerer's feet. Surprisingly, he didn't once shout out or even flinch.

 _His steel toed shoes really work._ Ruby thought to herself. She then looked back up to Theodore and saw something she didn't expect. Though he was smiling there were tears in his eyes.

"Theodore, are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"I'm fine Ruby." Theodore replied, "Why wouldn't I be? Why are looking at me with surprise? Is there something on my face?"

"Well…it looks like your crying."

Hearing that caused look of surprise to show up on Theodore's face. Removing his left hand from Ruby's waist, he wiped at his eyes and saw that she was telling the truth. There were tears on his hands. Looking around the room, Theodore saw for the split second the room shift from a ballroom to a theater and back again. Looking back at Ruby he saw that she had a worried look on her face. Letting go of her he walked to a window and saw why. Tears were streaming down his face.

"Theodore, what's wrong?" Ruby asked, appearing behind him with a worried look.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Theodore said without looking at her, "I-I-I need some air."

Saying that, Theodore made his ways towards the doors leaving Ruby alone near the drinks. She poured herself a drink while wondering what was wrong with her friend. He had given sad looks before, but never shed any tears. She was pulled from her thoughts when Jaune appeared right next to her, who was dressed in a black tuxedo with red outlines, and a drink in his hand.

"I see you're hiding at the punch bowl too." He said.

"Yup." Ruby replied, adding a pop to the end of the word.

"To the socially awkward." Both clanged their cups together in a cheers motion.

"How's your night with Pyrrha?" Ruby asked.

"It's great, so far." Jaune replied. "She needed to go the restroom, so I came here for a drink while waiting for her to come back. I got to say, Neptune is pretty cool. I can see why Weiss went with him instead of Titian."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I saw Weiss asking Neptune to the dance after hearing that Titian was turned down by her. I mean, come on. How many people can pull off blue hair? That and he's not a hardened soldier."

"No, I mean…Weiss came to the dance alone."

Jaune was in the middle of drinking his punch and hearing what Ruby said nearly made him cough it up.

"Uh, what?!" Jaune asked. He then looked to see Weiss trying to make a flower stand up straight but failing.

"Yeah, she said she had too much to focus on to worry about boys." Ruby said. Jaune then saw Weiss look in the direction of laughter with a sad look on her face. Blake and Sun were laughing at something that Neptune was telling them. After he was done, he started laughing as well. This caused Jaune to support an angry look on his face.

"Hold my punch." He said to Ruby without looking at her and handed her his drink. Once she had taken it, he started walking towards where Neptune was. Seeing that she was doing nothing at the moment, Ruby decided to go find Theodore and see what was wrong, so she put down the glass and followed where the young sorcerer was last seen.

Jaune was making his way through the crowd, gently pushing past anyone near him. When he got past a few more people though, he saw Pyrrha walk past him. Continuing to watch her, Jaune saw her go up the stairs and onto the balcony. Thinking that something was wrong, he decided to deal with Neptune later and went after Pyrrha. He saw her on the balcony looking up to the clear night sky, where the stars were shining brightly. To Jaune, Pyrrha looked beautiful in her red sleeveless dress that reached to her feet.

"Hey, Pyrrha." Jaune said, walking up to her right.

"Hello, Jaune." Pyrrha replied with a smile.

"Are you okay? You didn't come and find me after you got out."

"Sorry. I just wanted some air. It's a little crowded down in the ballroom."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." There was five seconds of silence before the blond knight spoke again. "Pyrrha, I wanted to ask. How many guys asked you to the dance before I did?"

"None." Pyrrha replied turning to Jaune.

"Heh…What?" Jaune said, thinking at first it was a joke before seeing that she was serious.

"Nobody asked me."

"But that's-eh-you're Pyrrha Nikos! H-How could nobody ask you?!"

"I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise, but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place. Everyone assumes I'm too good for them. That I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people. That's what I like about you. When we met, you didn't even know my name. You treated me just like anyone else, and thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime."

"You're sort of forgetting that Theodore was part of it as well." That caused Pyrrha to chuckle.

"You're right. He was part of it was well, but you were the one who summoned the courage to ask me. He didn't urge you or cast a bravery spell on you. You just asked from your own heart." Pyrrha walked up to Jaune and placed a hand on his cheek. "Thank you Jaune, for seeing me…for me. Not as in my celebrity way, but as in a normal person."

Pyrrha then let go of Jaune's cheek and started to walk back to the dance floor. The blond knight just stood there for five seconds with a smile on his face while blushing at the same time. Before he could join Pyrrha on the dance floor though, he saw the person he was going to have a serious conversation with standing a few feet away from him.

"Hey!" Neptune said, "Jaune, right?"

"Yeah." Jaune replied in a quiet tone.

"This party's pretty lame, huh? I mean, ballroom dancing. Pfft."

"Yeah."

"Cute girls though, huh?"

That last comment made Jaune let out an angry growl.

"Is that all you think about?" Jaune asked Neptune in an angry tone.

"Huh?" Neptune replied.

"D-Do you even care, about the girls you're hitting on? How they feel about you?"

"Woah! Where's this coming from?"

"How could you just turn her down like that?!"

"Wait! W-Who?!"

"Weiss!"

"I uhhh…it uhhhh…it just didn't work out, you know."

"What?! You think you're too cool?! Too many other options?! Weiss Schnee asked you to the dance! What in the world could possibly keep you from- "

"Can't dance." That answer caught Jaune off guard.

"Beg your pardon?" the blond knight asked, wanting to clarify what he just heard.

"I can't dance, man." Neptune replied, while looking away, embarrassed.

"But, you're…so cool." That caused the blue haired boy to look back at Jaune.

"Thank you. I try really, really hard."

"You would rather break a girl's heart and go to a dance alone than…just admit to everyone that you can't move in rhythm to music?"

"That about sums it up. Yeah."

"Well, I certainly feel a lot better about myself."

"Please, don't tell anybody. Also, there's another reason why I didn't accept her invite."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll show you. Follow me."

* * *

On a second story overlooking the ballroom, Yang and Argent watched as everyone enjoyed themselves.

"You know," Yang said, "I think we really needed this."

Down below, both could see Blake and Sun dancing with one another in rhythm to the music, while Ren struggled to keep up with Nora. Even Penny was dancing with her bodyguards close by.

"Yeah," Argent replied, "and you did a great job of planning it too."

"Thanks, big guy! It wasn't all me though. You and your team did a lot too. So, you want to dance?"

"I'm supposed to ask that, but sure. Let's go."

Both then walked down to the dance floor and started to dance. On a far end of the room, Titian was looking around for someone. He was dressed in his uniform which had long sleeved and white with red outlines. His pants were the same color, complete with black dress shoes. On the upper left side of his uniform were a series of badges and medals. On both of his sleeves were stripes that showed his chain of command. On the right side of his uniform was his last name. Continuing to look around, he saw a certain heiress sitting by herself. Titian decided to speak with her and see what's wrong, so he walked up to her until he was a few inches in front of her.

"Miss Schnee," he addressed causing Weiss to look up at him, "are you here alone?"

Weiss didn't answer him immediately, just stared at him in his uniform. She blushed when she realized what she was doing and looked away.

"Yes." She replied, "I chose to come alone."

"I thought you'd be here with Neptune. He didn't invite you?"

"No, I asked him. He just…turned me down."

"He did what?!" Weiss looked up to see a shocked look on Titian's face which then turned to anger. "That ignorant, self-centered little-I'll hurt him so bad, he'll go to a school that will teach him manners."

Titian then took a few breaths to calm himself. The heiress stared at him surprised of his reaction. She expected him to immediately march off and find Neptune but was impressed at his restraint and attempts to calm himself down. Once he had done that, she was even more surprised to see him support a smile and offer his hand to her.

"Since we're both here," he said, "would you like to dance?"

Weiss wanted to say 'no' at first but seeing as how he was willing to dance with her even after she rejected his invitation to come to the dance with him, she smiled took his hand, stood up and followed him to the dance floor. Both started to dance to the music and Weiss was surprised that he was actually able to keep in rhythm.

"Who taught you how to dance?" She asked out of fascination and curiosity.

"My mom." Titian replied with a sad smile.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the moment."

"No, it's okay. You didn't know."

Wanting to change the subject, Weiss saw the stripes on his sleeves and decided to ask him about them.

"What do the stripes stand for?" she asked. Titian no longer had a sad look to his smile at hearing her question.

"The stripes show the chain of command I represent." He answered. "In this case, they show the rank of commander."

"So, you worked for the commander?"

"No. I was the commander."

"Really?!"

"Yes. The only two officers that I answered to would be the general and captain."

"Your father and someone else?"

"Yes."

"What was your captain like?" That caused five seconds of silence and Titian's face morphed to one of contempt.

"That is one thing I won't speak about." He said in an angry tone.

"Do you…hate your father?" Weiss asked cautiously. The rouge soldier looked to her in surprise.

"No, I don't hate him." Titian replied, "I just don't trust him. The person I truly hate…is my captain."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah."

Weiss seeing that the subject was uncomfortable to talk about, Weiss again changed it to the medals that hung on his uniform.

"What do the medals stand for?" She asked. Again, Titian's face perked up.

"Most of them are for action beyond the line of duty." He replied, "Two of them though are for saving lives and courage."

"That's amazing."

"I'm glad you think so."

Both then just settled to dance in silence with smiles on their faces. Above them, Jaune and Neptune watched as both the heiress and the soldier dancing together.

"This is why I turned her down." Neptune said.

"I don't understand." Jaune replied.

"Titian's been fighting his whole life with no time for anything outside of the army. He didn't even have time to go to parties and dance with girls. The army always took up his time for everything. When I heard that Weiss turned him down, I was pretty mad. He finally had some time for something other than the army and she slammed the door in his face. So, by turning her down, I hoped that Titian would have a chance to finally dance with someone, other than a practice robot."

"Wow. I didn't look at it that way."

"Most people don't, but hey. If he gets to have fun tonight, it's worth it."

"You're a better person than I took you for, Neptune."

"Eh, it's okay. Gotta look out for all of our friends, right?"

"Right."

Both boys did a fist bump before heading back down to the dance floor. The music then changed to a more upbeat tone and everyone started to dance. On the upper floor, Mercury and Emerald were watching from above with smirks on their faces.

"It appears all the dancers have partners." Emerald said, talking into a COMM link.

"How long do I have?" the voice of Cinder asked.

"We should probably be home by midnight to be safe." Mercury answered.

"I'll keep my eye on the clock."

* * *

Ruby decided to look outside to find Theodore. Hopefully, he didn't leave the school and head into the city. Exiting the ballroom, Ruby looked to her left and saw Theodore kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face and onto the pavement. She rushed to his side, knelt down on the pavement and placed her hands on his shoulder's hoping to get his attention.

"Theodore," Ruby said with concern, "please, tell me what's wrong."

Theodore looked to Ruby with the tears still streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." He said, while wiping away the tears, "I'm supposed to be having fun with you and everyone else, but…the crowd, the room, the lights, the music, it brought back a…painful memory."

"What memory?"

"It's probably best if I just show you. I warn you though, there are some things that would disturb you and side effects."

Kneeling in front of Ruby, the young sorcerer placed his right hand on the silver eyed girl's forehead while placing his left on his own. He then spoke something in a different language unknown to Ruby.

"Memoria de uno anno elapse."

Ruby watched as the scenery around them shifted and changed around them. What had once been outside of the ballroom became the inside of a theater. It was full of people with smiles and anticipation on their faces. The silver eyed girl was amazed at what she saw and looked to Theodore who had a smile on his face.

"Memory spell." He said, "Took a while to learn."

Both then heard a puff and looked to see two pillars of smoke on stage. The smoke cleared to show a living Zatanna, smiling to the crowd, and a sixteen-year-old Theodore standing next to her. Both were waving to the crowd who was cheering.

"GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE!" Zatanna addressed the crowd, "FOR THE GRAND FINALE OF THE THEATER'S SHOW, I WILL MAKE MY ASSISTANT/SON, THEODORE, FLOAT IN MID-AIR WHILE ALSO MAKE FIREWORKS EXPLODE AROUND HIM!"

The magician then turned to her son and shouted some words.

"TAOLF DNA EDOLPXE!"

Everyone watched as Theodore floated in mid-air, thirty feet about the stage. Fireworks then started exploded around him without causing him the slightest bit of harm. The fireworks went on for a whole minute before stopping completely and Theodore floated down. Once he had touched the ground everyone started to clap. Both mother and son took a bow to everyone. Ruby was clapping after seeing the display with a smile on her face. It shifted to curiosity when she saw Zatanna look up to the balcony and her face showed shock. Ruby followed her line of sight and saw a sniper with his gun aimed at something. Looking she saw that the rifle was aimed at Theodore.

"NO!" Zatanna shouted and pushed Theodore out of the line of fire, only to be shot herself in the chest and fell to the ground. Suddenly, the cheering went to screaming and happiness changed to fear. Up in the balcony, some men tackled the sniper, pinned him down and took his weapon from him. On the stage, Theodore was cradling his mother head on his lap.

"SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Theodore shouted then looked to his mother. "Mom, stay with me. Come on! Stay with me!"

Zatanna just looked at her son with a smile on her face. She placed her right hand on his left cheek.

"Are you…alright…my Little…Magician?" She asked in between breaths.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Theodore replied with tears in his eyes.

"I'm…so happy…to know."

Seeing that her son was alright, Zatanna closed her eyes and breathed her last breath. Theodore had a look of shock on his face and placed his index and middle finger on the side of his mother's neck, hoping to find a pulse. To his despair though, he didn't find one. His mother was dead. She died in his arms and he was powerless to do anything. He didn't even know any healing magic. He lowered his head to her chest and started to cry. Unknown to him, though, his magic started to act on its own. One minute there was a bright light and the next there was darkness.

Ruby fell to her hands and knees on the pavement where she was before. She figured that the memory had ended, and the spell stopped. What she couldn't figure out, though, was why she was crying. Tears were running down her face like a river whose dam had broken open. Seeing her predicament, Theodore pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, knelt to her level and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Why…am I…crying…all of the…sudden?" Ruby asked in between sobs.

"The side effect of the spell is that you feel my emotions. My sadness being at the top." Theodore said while continuing to dry her tears. Out of the blue, Ruby hugged him, with her tears wetting his tuxedo. The young sorcerer gently hugged her back. After almost half a minute of crying, the silver eyed student calmed down enough to look up at Theodore. She wiped away the last of her tears before speaking to him.

"I'm so sorry for your loss." She said.

"No. I'm the one who should be apologizing." Theodore stated, "I was supposed to be having fun with you at the party. Instead, your crying and not smiling. Yang's going to keep her end of the threat for sure."

"What was her threat?"

"Her exact words were, 'If you, in any way, make my sister cry, I will personally punch you straight to the moon.'"

Hearing that caused Ruby to burst out laughing. Seeing her laugh brought a smile to Theodore's face. The silver eyed student let out a few more chuckles before finally stopping, still smiling.

"We'll keep this between us." She said to Theodore who nodded in agreement. Standing up to leave, she had a look of surprise on her face and pointed towards the buildings behind him. "Is that normal?"

Theodore followed Ruby's finger to see an unknown finger jumping from building to building, away from the school.

"No, it's not." Theodore answered, "Come on."

Ruby and Theodore raced to follow were the figure was going. They lost her on the third building when he/she jumped over the roof. Ruby was worried they wouldn't be able to find the person, until Theodore grabbed her hand and started to lead her. They winded up at the CCT Tower which didn't make any sense to either of them, until the saw a guard on the ground, not moving.

"Is…he…" Ruby didn't finish, fearing the worst. Theodore ran to where the guard was, knelt down, and placed two fingers on his throat. Finding a pulse, he stood up and ran back to Ruby.

"He's unconscious but alive." Theodore said, "We should head inside and find the person who did this."

"Not without my precious." Ruby said and tapped something on her scroll. A few seconds later, her locker came flying from the school. It crashed to the ground and then opened up, revealing Crescent Rose.

"You're right. There's going to be a fight." Theodore said and clapped his hands together. His sword appeared in front of him, floating in midair. He grabbed it and gave it a few twirls. "Come on. Let's find the intruder."

* * *

Infiltrating the CCT was child's play for Cinder. The guards went down like dominos, so easily that a ten-year-old could do it. She was hoping for more of a challenge. Dressed in a suit that had some glass and a mask, she made her way to the top floor. Seeing the master computer in front of her, she walked up to it and took a seat. Placing her scroll inside of a slot, she started to type. While doing so, she got a call from her subordinates.

"A party guest is leaving." Emerald said through her COMM.

Cinder let out an aggravated sigh.

"Which one?" She asked.

"Ironwood." Emerald replied.

"I guess the general has had enough fun for one night." Mercury said through his COMM, "Should we intervene?"

Just as he had finished asking, Cinder had completed uploading whatever she had on her scroll. A queen chess piece showed up her screen and everyone other one in room.

"No." she answered with an evil smile, "We're done here."

Standing up from the chair and retrieving her scroll, she was about to head to the elevator when she heard the elevator come up, signaling that someone was coming. She ducked behind one of the desks, hoping that whoever it was would leave after finding nothing.

* * *

Ruby and Theodore had reached the top floor. When the doors opened, they both stepped out with their weapons at the ready.

"Hello?" Ruby called out, not getting answer. She stumbled and would have fallen if Theodore had not caught her. Ruby looked down angerly at her shoes, the cause of the problem. She had half a mind to remove them but decided against it. Both her and Theodore then continued to slowly walk more into the room.

"Is anyone there?" Ruby again called out and, again, received no answer. "Hello?"

"We know you're here!" Theodore said getting a surprised look from Ruby, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

The figure then stepped from her hiding place and stepped in front of the two students, staying at least a few feet away from them. Theodore placed both his hands on the hilt of his sword. Even with different clothes and a mask, he knew who the person standing in front of him and Ruby was.

 _Cinder._ He said in his mind.

"Excuse me," Ruby said calmly but was on her guard when she saw how serious Theodore was, "you know it's not a masquerade party. So, why don't you take off that- "

She didn't get to finish as Cinder pulled out a cylinder and waved it in front of her. Something came out of it and formed into spear heads, floating in midair. She then threw her right hand forward and the spear heads launched towards the students.

"RUBY! LOOK OUT!" Theodore shouted and swatted away the spear heads coming for him. Ruby did the same and then stabbed her scythe into the ground. With her weapon steady, she started shooting at Cinder who merely blocked them with her left hand. Ruby noticed that her eyes and the things on her legs and hands glowed while she was attacking and defending.

 _Is she using magic?_ Ruby thought to herself. She that her bullets weren't doing any harm she stopped. Cinder then spun around, taking a step back and swords formed in her hands. Both Ruby and Theodore charged at her, swinging their weapons, hoping to hit her. Sadly, they missed their target as she jumped backwards. While still in midair, Cinder formed a bow with three arrows, all ready to fly. She let go watching as they flew to their targets. She wasn't expecting Theodore to get in front of Ruby and raise his left hand out in front of him and she certainly wasn't ready for what happened next.

"REFLECTUNT!" Theodore shouted and out of the blue, the arrows turned around, flew into the ceiling and exploded. Both Cinder and Ruby looked to the young sorcerer in surprise. When the explosion had died down, Theodore walked towards Cinder, stopped within a few feet of her, twirled his sword around a few times, held the hilt with both hands and took an offensive stance for battle.

Cinder was originally against the idea for anymore opposition, but seeing Theodore use his magic and deflect her attack made her want to stay and fight. She wanted to fight him. She wanted to see what he could do. This was a perfect opportunity for her to learn his strengths and weaknesses. She was shocked though when she saw his eyes turn from ocean blue to fiery yellow.

Ruby couldn't see his eyes, but she was equally shocked when she saw his symbol appear in bright yellow on the back of his tuxedo. Theodore was about to say something when he heard the elevator. The surprise caused his eyes to revert to their natural color and the symbol to disappear. Looking back to the elevator, both students saw General Ironwood inside of it. Judging the look on his face, he was aware of what was going on. Ruby looked back to where Cinder was, with a smile on her face, only for it to turn into a frown seeing she was gone. Theodore had an angry look on his face, also noticing the intruder's absence.

"BOLLOCKS!" he shouted while throwing his sword to the ground. Cinder had escaped from him, again.

* * *

 _That was certainly fun._ Cinder thought to herself as she changed from her suit to a black, sparkling gown that reached to her feet. She also had gloves that reached halfway past her elbows. Walking into the ballroom, she looked for her two subordinates. She found them dancing together in the center of the ballroom. Walking up to them, she stopped right behind Emerald and tapped her on the shoulder. Both stopped dancing as they looked to Cinder.

"May I cut in?" she asked.

"Of course." Emerald answered, walking away from Mercury. Cinder then started to dance with the grey-haired assassin.

"And how's your night been?" Mercury asked.

"Hmm. A little more…exciting than expected." Cinder answered.

"Should we be worried?"

"Hardly. They'll be scratching their heads long after we finished what we came here for."

"So then, what now?"

"Enjoy the rest of the night. After all, it is a party."

* * *

 **AN: Hey, everyone! New chapter uploaded. Thank you for your continued support and patience. Hope to update again soon. Sentinel Prime, out.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"They were here. Ozpin, they were HERE!" The voice of General Ironwood boomed in the headmaster's office. The headmaster was currently sitting behind his desk. With his hands covering his eyes while James and Glynda stood in front. Ozpin had his hands covering his eyes out of aggravation. Someone had infiltrated his school and the CCT. He was worried for the safety of his students, but also almost annoyed with how the general was handling the situation.

"We're **very** much aware of that." Glynda answered in a stern tone, "Thank you, James."

"Fantastic! You're aware. Now, are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us?!"

A beeping noise sounded from Ozpin's desk, momentarily ending the conversation. Ozpin stood up from his chair, his focus on the elevator. Both James and Glynda also turned their focus to the elevator.

"Come in." Ozpin said, and the elevator opened, revealing Theodore and Ruby. Both stepped out, into the office.

"Sorry it took so long." Ruby apologized, "Someone accidentally hit all the buttons in the elevator on the way up here. It wasn't me."

"Sure, it wasn't." Theodore said sarcastically with a smile. Both then walked up to the teachers, stopping within three feet of them.

"Thank you for coming, Ruby and Theodore." Ozpin said, "How are you two feeling?"

"Okay, I guess." Ruby replied, "I'd feel better if my bad guy catching record wasn't over three."

"I'm upset that the perpetrator got away." Theodore added, "On my watch, no less."

"Ruby, Theodore," Ironwood said, walking up to them and placing a hand on their shoulders, "I fell it's appropriate to let you both know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being huntsman and huntresses is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action and you did the very best you could."

"Thank you, sir." Ruby replied. Theodore stayed quiet though, his mind on something else.

 _You're willing to praise people you don't know but not your own son?_ He said in his mind, wanting to say that to the general.

"Now," Ozpin broke the silence, "the general here has already informed us of the events that…transpired last night, but now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add."

"Was anyone else with her?" Glynda asked away, "Did she look familiar to you at all?"

"I…uh…I don't' know." Ruby answered, "She was wearing a mask, and she never said anything to me or Theodore, but I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her semblance though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked."

"Save for the glass," Glynda said, "that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby and Theodore."

"Imbedding dust into clothing is an age-old technique." Ironwood added, "It could've been anyone."

"Wait." Ruby interrupted, "You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?"

"It's possible." Ozpin said, "But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together."

"Actually, I…I think I remember her something about a hideout or something in the southeast, just outside the kingdom."

"Interesting."

"I thought you said the intruder never- "Glynda said before being interrupted by Theodore.

"That was my fault." He said, "While doing an investigation, I let some information slip and Ruby heard me."

"Theodore, what- "Ruby's mouth was covered by the young sorcerer.

"That information was supposed to be **confidential**." He gave Ruby a stern look, making her realize the mistake she made before removing his mouth from her hand.

"Well, at least we know where they are based." Ironwood said.

"Thank you for your cooperation Ruby and Theodore." Ozpin said, "Why don't you go and spend some time with your teams? You two have a big day ahead of you."

"Anytime." Ruby said and started to walk away, but was stopped by Theodore, knowing that Ozpin wasn't finished.

"Also, Miss Rose and Mr. Constantine." Ozpin added, "Please try and be…discrete about this matter."

"Of course." Theodore answered and walked to the elevator with Ruby behind him. Once it had opened both entered with the intent of heading to their respected dorms. Before they could, however, Theodore held the doors open to speak to the general one last time.

"General," he said, "how is it that you can shower praise on anyone except your own son?"

This caused the general to looked shocked from what he heard. Saying what was on his mind, Theodore let the doors close and the elevator started its descent.

"I'm sorry, Theodore." Ruby apologized.

"You need to be more careful with what you reveal." Theodore said, "I doubt Ozpin would let you off easy if he knew about how you got that information."

"I understand." Ruby stayed silent for five seconds before speaking again. "Theodore, do you know who that woman was?"

"It was Cinder."

"It was?!"

"Yes. Even with the mask on, I could still recognize her by her hair and eyes."

"How did you know it was her and where to find her?"

"A gift I had since I was born. I can see the magic that is left behind, like a trail of bread crumbs."

"So, what she was using…"

"Was magic."

"How strong do you think she is?"

"I'm not sure. I have never really gone toe to toe with her. I'll find out though, sooner or later."

"So, we head back to our dorms and explain what happened?"

"No, we head to mine. I already texted your team, letting them know."

"Ohhhh."

The elevator dinged, signaling that it had reached the right floor. Both students walked out of the elevator and to Theodore's dorm. Once the door was opened, Yang, Weiss and Blake got in both of their faces at a quick pace while the rest of Team CATT stayed put.

"What happened?" Yang asked.

* * *

"Well, there we have it." Ironwood said while facing the window showing the city, "We send as many troops as we can to the southeast. Find out exactly what's going on and eradicate any forces that stand in our way."

"Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado?!" Glynda asked in an angry tone, "You treat every situation like it's a CONTEST OF MEASURING- "

"Glynda!" Ozpin stopped her and turned to them, still sitting in his chair.

"Well, he does."

"She's right." Ozpin said, addressing to Ironwood, "As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic."

"I have served you faithfully for years," Ironwood said, "but if you mean to tell me that your plan is to really hold the defenses and wait- "

"It is NOT!" Ozpin interrupted, standing up from his chair, "You're a general, James, so tell me. When you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearer or the scouts?"

* * *

"That was a risky move." Weiss said after hearing what happened in the headmaster's office.

"No." Blake interjected, "I think you two handled it well."

"I hope so." Ruby said with worry.

"I'm sure everything will be alright Ruby." Yang said then looked to Theodore, "What about you, Theo?"

"Don't…call me that." Theodore answered while sitting down, "I'm just upset that I didn't catch Cinder."

"When are we going to?" Argent asked.

"Until we have solid evidence of what she is doing, we can do nothing but wait. Cinder didn't' get this far by making mistakes. So, we have to wait until she makes one."

"I've learned to be patient." Clair said from his chair.

"So, have I." Titian added, "I'll keep working on finding clues to what they're up to for the time being."

"Take a break and smile once in a while, soldier boy." Yang said, then an idea popped into her head. "Oh! Ruby! I know what will cheer you up!"

"What's that?" the silver eyed student asked as Yang walked to one of the tables and picked up a cylinder.

"I don't know yet." The blond brawler answered, "Dad sent it us. I thought we could open it together."

"Ohhhh! Something from home!" Ruby said in a high-pitched voice and ran to Yang. She tried to reach for the package before Yang gave it a simple shake and something fell out of it. Everyone looked to see what looked like a grey fur condensed into a cylinder shape.

"He sent you fur?" Argent asked. Everyone got a shock, however, when the fur started to move. They became even more shocked when it popped out four legs, ears, stubby tail, eyes and a snout.

"What the…" was all Theodore could say.

"Is that a…dog?" Titian asked. The dog confirmed his suspicions by barking twice. Everyone jumped back in surprise, while Ruby and Yang jumped for joy.

"ZWEI!" Ruby shouted for joy at seeing the family dog.

"He sent a dog?!" Blake asked in shock.

"In the mail?!" Weiss added.

"How?!" Theodore asked, "That cylinder didn't even look like it had room to fit a squirrel!"

Ruby didn't answer because she was to busy laughing while holding Zwei. The dog was currently licking her out of happiness as well.

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time." Yang answered with a smile.

"Your farther or your dog?" Clair asked and noticed that Blake was missing. Looking up, he saw her hiding on top of the chandelier. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping my distance." She answered.

"Oh. That's right. You're a cat Faunus and he's a dog. That makes sense."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"The Faunus side of me is that of an apex predator. If anything, the dog should fear me."

"Now's not the time." Titian interjected.

"Are you telling me this mangey, Weiss said getting closer to Zwei, "drooling, mutt is going to live with us forever?! Oh, yes, he is! Yes, he is!"

The heiress said the last part in a happy tone which surprised Team CATT. They rarely saw Weiss smile and seeing her be happy about playing with a dog, sort of scared them.

 _Is she bipolar or something?_ Theodore asked himself.

"Please keep it away from my belongings when we get back to our dorm." Blake said, still watching from the chandelier.

"I'm surprised you don't just leave the room." A voice said behind Blake. The cat Faunus turned to see a woman floating behind her. She let out a shriek of fear before losing her balance and falling of the chandelier. She was caught bridle style by Clair who heard her scream and acted fast. The woman floated down from the chandelier and eye level to Blake.

"I'm so sorry." She said, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Mom." Theodore said, "Are you trying to give Blake a heart attack?"

"Mom?" Blake asked Clair with a questionable look.

"That is the ghost of Theodore's mother." Clair answered, "Zatanna Zatara Constantine."

Blake looked between both Theodore and Zatanna seeing the resemblance. Clair let her down and the cat Faunus walked up to the ghost.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, "but aren't ghosts supposed to be invisible?"

"About that Blake." Theodore intervened, "When you and Sun played with my spell book, you were exposed to some powerful magic. So, now you can see what I see, including my mom."

"Again, dear." Zatanna said, "I am really sorry I scared you."

"It's okay. You didn't mean to." Blake said and saw something that Theodore wouldn't be happy about. "Theodore is that allowed?"

Theodore looked to where Blake was saying and saw Zwei chewing on a wand.

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't chew on that!" Theodore exclaimed and ran to Zwei. Sadly, the dog didn't feel like returning the wand to its owner. Both started to run around the room seeing who would give up first. Glynda's voice then spoke through the school.

"Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater." She said.

"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for a week." Weiss said.

"Look, there's a letter." Yang said pulling a piece of paper from the cylinder and began to read it. "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang."

Yang then turned the cylinder over and about fifty cans of dog food poured out. Hearing the noise, Zwei let go of the wand and ran towards the sound. Theodore grabbed his wand and started to clean it with a cloth.

"Dogs are hard work." Zatanna said next to him.

"Very funny, mom." Theodore replied sarcastically.

"What is he supposed to do with that?" Weiss asked. Her question was answered when Yang gave the cylinder one more shake and a can opener fell out.

"Well, that settles it." Yang said throwing the cylinder and letter away. She then started to walk out of the room. "Come on, girls. Zwei will be here when we get back."

"We're heading out now." Theodore said to his team and walked out of the room. Titian, Clair and Argent followed close behind.

"I'm going to miss you so much! We're going to be best friends! I can't wait to see you again!" Weiss said, giving baby talk to Zwei. She then walked out of the room with Blake right behind her. Ruby stayed behind, worried about leaving Zwei alone. After a few seconds of what to do, an idea came up.

* * *

Ruby caught up with her team in the amphitheater with her weapon and backpack included. She placed her bags with the other and joined everyone else in the crowd. She saw Team CATT in front of her and wanted to ask Theodore a question. She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. It worked, and the young sorcerer looked back.

"Theodore," she asked, "will Zwei be okay in your room? I saw you weren't to happy about him chewing on your belongings."

"Don't worry, Ruby." Theodore replied with a smile, "I cast a spell that thirty seconds, after I leave the room, the object that don't belong to me immediately get transferred to the rooms of their rightful owners. So, Zwei should already be in your room."

"That is so awesome!"

"Quiet. Quiet, please." Glynda said through the mike on the stage. Once everyone had quieted down, she continued. "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

With that said, the combat instructor walked off the stage and the headmaster took over.

"Today, we stand together, united." He began, "Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms and self-expression and as you are well aware that was something many could not stand for."

 _I'm glad to hear that._ Theodore thought.

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself. Color."

 _Oh. That explains a lot._

"It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united, but this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsman and huntresses will work to uphold it."

While he was speaking, screens popped up with details for what looked like missions to be done.

"As first year students," he continued, "you'll be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training and remember to do your very best."

Everyone clapped as Ozpin walked off the stage. As everyone left to select a mission, Team RWBY and CATT stayed together.

"This is perfect!" Ruby exclaimed, "All we have to do is shadow a huntsman working in the southeast."

"Yeah!" Yang added, "We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip at night."

"Let's check search and destroy." Weiss said.

"My team and I will check search and rescue." Theodore said, and both teams walked to the teams. They each got to individual screens to choose their missions. Team CATT saw a search and rescue mission with the information.

 **Missing Child**

 **Quadrant 5**

 **Mission Start: ASAP**

Looking to his teammates, they nodded in agreement. Theodore selected the mission, typed in his team's name and pressed enter. The screen confirmed that Team CATT had chosen the mission to do. Turning to Team RWBY, Theodore saw them selecting a search and destroy mission.

 **High Grimm Activity**

 **Quadrant 5**

 **Mission Start: ASAP**

"Here we go!" Ruby stated, "Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!"

"Well, it's in the southeast." Blake said.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang added. Ruby selected the mission and punched in her team's name. Sadly, she didn't get the same results Theodore did. Words in red popped up stating 'MISSION UNAVAILABE TO FIRST YEAR STUDENTS.' The screen then reverted back to its normal look.

"Wonderful." Weiss stated in an annoyed tone.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

"We mail ourselves there." Ruby said while looking at Theodore. The young sorcerer realized what she said and shook his head.

"Absolutely NOT!" he stated, "I am not doing what your father did with the dog! I don't know any shrinking spells for crying out loud!"

"Well, that's one option." Said the voice of Ozpin, walking up to the two teams with a tablet in hand. "Unfortunately, we determined the concentration of Grimm was to extreme for first year students. It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaky suspicion that the four of you will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

Yang, Blake, and Weiss all looked at Ruby with angry looks on their faces. It turned to shock though when they felt some killer intent behind them. Turning to the source they saw Theodore with an angry look of his own. He showed them his scroll which had words typed on it. It read, 'Wrong person to get mad at.' Ruby didn't notice what was going on and just rubbed the back of her head out of embarrassment.

"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby asked.

"I'm still curious as to how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester." Ozpin answered, "I'm interested to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast. I seriously doubt Mr. Constantine would let important information like that slip since he is very careful. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago."

"Uhhhhh…well…uhhhhhh…"

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So, how about this. Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them."

Pressing a few buttons on his tablet, Team RWBY watched as they were given the mission. The whole team had smiles on their faces. Ruby then looked to the headmaster.

"We won't let you down." She said. "Thank you, Professor."

"Do not thank me for this." Ozpin replied, "Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission and he can have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory."

With that said, Ozpin walked away. Team RWBY looked worried at what he said. Team CATT just looked neutral after hearing him.

 _He was very blunt._ Titian thought to himself. They then saw Ozpin quickly walk back to them wishing them 'Good luck' and walked away. Both teams then walked out of the amphitheater and towards their destinations.

"That wasn't exactly uplifting." Yang said.

"But it's the truth." Blake added.

"It's going to be tough, but I know we can do it." Ruby said.

"Hey! Team CVFY is back!" a student exclaimed. Both teams looked to see the said team walking to the dorms. RWBY and Theodore walked up to CVFY to check up on them while the remaining of Team CATT stayed behind since they weren't introduced yet.

"Velvet are you okay?" Blake asked getting the attention of the rabbit Faunus who stopped to talk to them.

"I'm fine. I had Yatuhashi to look out for me." She replied gesturing to the 6'4" second year walking past her.

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago." Weiss said, "What happened?"

"N-Nothing happened. It was just…there were just so many."

Team RWBY and Theodore had questionable and worried looks on their faces from hearing the answer.

"Oh, but don't worry." Velvet said, "You first years are just shadowing huntsmen, so you should be fine."

"Right." Yang said sarcastically. The rabbit Faunus then took notice of the three students waiting a few feet behind Theodore.

"Are those your teammates, Theodore?" Velvet asked.

"Yes, they are." He replied, "I introduce you and your team to them after we get back if that is okay."

"That would be fine. Well, I should go. Be safe, okay?" Velvet then walked away and rejoined her team.

"I should go as well." Theodore said to Team RWBY, "Don't want to keep my team and the huntsman waiting. See you guys later. Have fun on the mission."

The young sorcerer then rejoined his team and they walked off to find the huntsman they would be shadowing.

"We can do this." Ruby assured her team, "We've never backed down before and we're not going to start now."

"Right." Blake said with a determined look.

"Besides, it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine huntsman!"

"Yeah!" Yang said with excitement and they went to where the huntsman would be waiting. Once they got there, though, the looks on their faces went from determination to shock. Yang and Ruby looked almost disgusted, Weiss eyes were bulging out of there sockets and Blake looked just…depressed. For who was the huntsman that was waiting for them at the bullhead was none other than their history teacher, Professor Oobleck who was wearing a trench coat, a safari hat and carrying a backpack full of supplies.

"Why hello girls!" he exclaimed with a smile, "Who's ready to fight for their lives?!"

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone. Here is the next chapter for you guys. To whoever wrote that comment about pairing Ruby and my OC, that wasn't the plan. I have no intention of doing so with any of my OCs. The only pairings I am doing are what happens in the show. Other than that, thank you for reading my story and the continued support from my followers (Sorry if that sounded offensive). Sentinel Prime, out.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Professor Oobelck?" Weiss asked with uncertainty after calming down.

"Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary girls." Oobleck replied while pacing back and forth, "Seeing as you've opted to shadow a huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations, rather we will be traversing several miles of hazard wasteland and making camp at any expendable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all of our essentials myself, prodded the air course and readied the airship. And," he then got up into Weiss' face, "it's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the P.H.D. for fun, thank you very much."

"Uhhhhhh…." Was all the heiress said in response.

"Come now, children. According to my schedule we are already three minutes behind…schedule." The teacher said before dashing off to the bullhead.

"Well, alright then." Ruby said, "Looks like we're going to save the world with Dr. Oobleck, okay, yeah. When you say it out loud, it sounds worse."

"Save the world?!" shouted the voiced of Nora as she and Team JNPR walked up to Team RWBY, "You're going on world saving missions without us?! I'M SO SAD!"

Her stomach then growled.

"Maybe a little hungry. That last one's not your fault though. Ren." She then looked at Ren, angerly.

"Sounds exciting." Jaune said, "Where're you going."

"Oh, just outside the kingdom." Ruby answered.

"Hey! So are we!" Nora chimed in.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village." Pyrrha said.

"We set out tomorrow." Ren clarified.

"Then you can party with us tonight!" Said Neptune as he and Sun showed up. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges."

Jaune saw stars at hearing this from amazement.

"We normally go to the city with you guys and Theodore," Sun said, "which means stuff's always exploding and junk. So, we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's…you know…normal."

"Well- "Ruby was about to speak before she was interrupted.

"FOUR MINUTES, LADIES!" shouted the voice Dr. Oobleck. They all smiled awkwardly at hearing his voice.

"Well uh…wish us luck." Ruby said before she and her whole team went onto the bullhead. Once they got in though they saw a boy standing next to Oobleck. He looked about 18-19 years of age, had both black hair and eyes. His height was 5'9", her wore a red and yellow sweater, blue jeans, black and white sneakers. He was currently drinking from a soda cup.

"Once the bullhead takes off, we can converse." Oobleck stated and the girls took their places on the bullhead. Once it took off, the girls started to talk among themselves.

"Who is he?" Weiss asked.

"I have no idea." Blake replied.

"Think he's another transfer student?" Ruby asked.

"I doubt it." Yang said, "Theodore would've informed us."

"Theodore?" said a new voice. Team RWBY turned to see the boy walking up to them. "Theodore Constantine?"

"You know him?" Yang asked suspiciously.

"He's a friend!" the boy answered with a smile then held out his hand. "I'm Billy Batson."

"Yang Xiao Long."

"Blake Belladonna."

"Weiss Schnee."

"Ruby Rose."

"I've already met your professor."

"Doctor!" Oobleck stated.

"Sorry."

"Are you from the earth, like Theodore?!" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Uh…w-what makes you think that I-I'm from another w-world?" Billy asked nervously.

"It's alright." Blake interjected, "Theodore told us everything."

"He did?" he got a nod from everyone. "Phew. That makes things a whole lot easier. Yes, I am."

"THAT IS SO AWESOME!" Ruby shouted.

"I'm glad you all have made a new friend," Oobleck said, "but we must focus on the job at hand."

"Oh, that's right. You're taking these students on a mission." Billy said then turned back to Team RWBY, "I'll be in the back if you need me. Think of me as the third wheel."

He then walked to the back of the bullhead, so the girls could talk with their teacher.

"Doctor Oobleck," Yang started, "I never saw you as a fighter."

"I admit, I fancy myself as more of a…intellectual," Oobleck replied, "but I can assure you. As a huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles."

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked.

"Those are truffles." Blake said.

"Like the sprout?"

"Those are Brussels." Yang replied.

"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history as well as my dawdling in the archeological surveys," Oobleck continued, "our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular…assignment."

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

"Why what a preposterous question you silly girl!" Oobleck replied, "Why history is the backbone of very society! And the liver! Probably, the kidneys if I were to wager!"

 _This professor has got a few screws loose._ Billy thought to himself.

"And that means…"

"The southeast quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves, but it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures."

"Mountain Glenn." Ruby said,

"That's right. It was an expansion of Vale," Yang added, "but in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city."

"Correct!" Oobleck stated, "And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder."

"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake added.

"Precisely."

Looking out, they saw their destination. It looked like a twenty first century ghost town. Most of the buildings were falling apart from either damage and decay or were left unfinished. When the bullhead was a few feet from the ground, all five teens and the teacher jumped out and landed on the ground. The ship then flew away leaving them in the city. Team RWBY all had awesome poses until they heard a slurping sound. Turning to the source, they saw Billy drinking from his soda cup. Feeling eyes on him, he looked to the four girls.

"I ruined the moment, didn't I?" he asked.

"You think?!" Yang replied.

Looking back towards the town, expecting to see Grimm, all they saw was a few tumbleweeds roll by.

"Ladies!" Oobleck said getting Team RWBY's attention, "You still may be students, but as of this moment, your first mission as huntresses has begun. From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"

They nodded their heads. The doctor then noticed the silver eyed girl's backpack.

"Ruby!" he exclaimed, causing her to drop her weapon. "I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school."

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet." Ruby replied. "So, I didn't."

"She's not wrong." Billy said to the doctor who nodded in agreement.

"Very well Ruby." Oobleck said, "Leave your bag here. We can pick it up upon our return."

"But-well-I-uh…" Ruby stammered.

"Young lady! What in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important to bring with- "

He stopped mid-sentence when the familiar head of Zwei popped out of the bag. Everyone had looks of surprise on their face, including Oobleck.

"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered to Zwei hoping that he would obey, and everyone wouldn't notice. The only reply she got was a bark.

"We're here," Oobleck started very sternly, "to investigate an abandoned, urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought…a dog?"

"I…uhhhh…"

"GENUIS!"

Oobleck then dashed around the girls, grabbing Zwei in the process, holding him in the air, while still spinning.

"Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound!" he stated excitedly, "Making them excellent companions for hunts such as ours!"

Zwei just barked in agreement.

 _He, definitely, has a few screws loose._ Billy thought.

"I'm a genius." Ruby stated triumphantly, while Yang facepalmed herself at hearing this.

"So, what are your orders Doctor?" Blake asked bringing Oobleck out of his excitement.

"Awe, yes! Straight to the chase! I like it!" Oobleck said while dropping Zwei, "As you've been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hot spot for Grimm activity. Now there are several possible explanations for this behavior, one of which being-Grimm!"

He stayed silent for five seconds before Ruby spoke up.

"Uhhh…what?" She asked.

"Grimm. A creature of Grimm, approximately 100 yards from us at this very moment."

"What?!" Yang exclaimed, and all four girls turned around to see a Beowulf behind them the exact distance Oobleck said. Surprisingly, it had not noticed them, and all four girls readied their weapons.

"Stop." Oobleck whispered, causing all five teens to look at him.

"Huh?" Blake replied.

"Why?" Billy asked, "Let them take it out."

"There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area." He answered, "The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

"So…what now?" Ruby asked.

"We wait. We track. If the specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Yang asked.

"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for more than months-and there's the whole pack."

As if on cue, more Beowulves showed up by the tens.

"What?" Weiss stated.

"And now they've seen us." Oobleck said.

"What?!"

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!"

"I take it tracking is out of the question?" Ruby asked.

"An accurate assumption, yes."

"What's the plan then?!" Yang asked as the Grimm started to charge at them.

"Show me what you're capable of."

Ruby then stabbed her scythe into the ground for better aim.

"Cover your ears Zwei." Ruby said, and the dog obeyed. Billy watched as all four girls took out the pack with ease. He had surprise and amazement written all over his face.

 _Did I get sent to another world or straight into an anime with butt kicking girls?_ He thought to himself. Looking around he saw that the whole pack was demolished.

"Heh. Piece a cake." Ruby said as Oobleck walked up to them.

"Do not celebrate yet." He told them, "For I am certain this is first bout of many."

* * *

He was right. While scouring through the city, they ran into more Grimm that needed to be dealt with. While Team RWBY was fighting them, though, Doctor Oobleck looked to be only examining through the whole trip. Either their fighting styles or anything that looked abnormal. Billy kept a safe distance from the fight, still acting as the third wheel and drinking his soda.

 _Is this guy even going to help?_ He thought to himself seeing the team panting and Oobleck just standing around.

"Excellent work girls!" Oobleck said at seeing them successfully take out another pack of Grimm. "Unfortunately, there doesn't seem be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh well! Moving on!"

He then started to walk off with the teens following close behind.

"Hey Doc," Yang said, "you know I was actually looking forward seeing a pro huntsman in action. Like, fighting or, at least, helping us fight?!"

"Ahh! But I am in action!" Oobleck replied, "Scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity! Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism girls. Sometimes it's just a heightend form of examination. Remember, this is a job…and you all signed up for it. Well, all except Mr. Batson. I do hope you understand that."

"Well…yeah." Yang replied a little upset, "O-Of course."

"Hey!" Billy exclaimed, "Don't insult me!"

At that moment, lone Beowulf appeared from nowhere and charged at Billy. Blake immediately grabbed him and pulled him out of harms way. The Grimm skidded away from them a good 30 feet. Everyone crowded around Billy while Oobleck checked him for injuries.

"Are you alright, Mr. Batson?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"No…my drink." Billy replied pointing in the direction where he was attacked. Everyone looked to see his cup cut to ribbons and his soda spilled on the ground. Billy then turned to where the Grimm was getting back on its feet.

"That's what your upset about- "Weiss didn't get to finish as Billy ran straight towards the Grimm.

"You're dead, Fido!" he exclaimed while running. The Beowulf noticed him and started running towards him as well.

"MR. BATSON!" Oobleck shouted, seeing the boy getting closer to the Grimm.

"SHAZAM!" Billy shouted and out of the blue, a bolt of lighting came down and struck him. All four girls screamed in shock, while Oobleck stood as stiff as stone and the Beowulf skidded to a halt. There was still dust and smoke surrounding where the lighting struck. When the smoke cleared, though, they didn't see a charred body, but a man standing there.

He was 6'2", had black hair and eyes along with a beard. He wore a red suit with a gold and white lightning bolt on his chest. He also had gold wrist bands and boots. The suit also had a white with gold outlined cape complete with a hood. He was also very muscular, looking like he could lift a car with no problem.

Before the Beowulf could register what had happened, the man dashed towards it, in the blink of an eye, and punched it. The Grimm flew straight out of the city and into the sky. The teacher and most of his students were wondering who this man was and where Billy's body had disappeared to. Ruby, however, had a different idea.

"Billy…is that you?" she asked with uncertainty. The man then turned to the silver eyed student and gave her a thumbs up with a grin.

"Yup! It's me!" said the man who was confirmed as Billy. "I forgot to mention that I'm one of Earth's superheroes."

Ruby had stars in her eyes at hearing this. Standing a few feet from her, the team and teacher was an actual superhero.

"I must admit, I did not see this coming." Weiss said.

"You think you're the only one?" Blake added.

"What's your superhero name?" Yang asked Billy.

"The word I shouted out." Billy replied, "Shazam."

"THAT IS SO AWESOME!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I must say…" Oobleck finally spoke, "That was unexpected. A real-life superhero walking among us in a boy's body. Well, if you are willing, would you like to help the girls in combat in case the Grimm become a huge problem?"

"Of course, I would." Billy responded, "It would be an honor."

* * *

From then on when the Grimm decided to come in the hundreds, Shazam came in to help. Everyone got to see his powers. His super strength, super speed, flight, and firing electricity from his hands. During that time, though, Oobleck started to ask questions to each of his students.

"Tell me, Yang." He asked the blond brawler, "Why did you choose this line of work?"

"Huh?" Yang said, Oobleck just now grabbing her attention from watching Shazam grab a pillar and chuck it at a few Beowulves. "Well, to fight monsters and save- "

"No!" Oobleck interrupted, "That is what you do. I want to know why you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to be a huntress."

"The honest reason? I'm a thrill seeker. I want to travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can, and if I help people along the way then that's even better. It's a win-win you know."

"I see."

Oobleck then moved to the next spot to find Weiss fighting some Grimm. He took a seat on one of the walls and started writing. When he was done, he questioned the young heiress.

"And you Miss Schnee," he started, "a girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work. So, why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?"

"It's exactly as you said." Weiss said after defeating all the Grimm, "I'm a Schnee. I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized I was capable of fighting, there was no longer a question of what I wanted to do with my life. It was my duty."

"Interesting."

Leaping off the wall, he went in search for Blake. He found her dealing with some small Nevermores.

"And what about you, Blake?" he asked, "You seem to carry yourself in a sense of purpose."

"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing." She replied, "Inequality. Corruption. Someone has to stop it."

"Very well. How?"

"I…uh…" Blake didn't have an answer for that and Oobleck left her to ponder on it. He found Ruby, with a cooked turkey on the end of her scythe, playing with Zwei. Shazam arrived next to him watching the interaction, trying not to laugh. When Ruby noticed her professor and the super hero standing by her, she put her weapon away, as well as the turkey.

"Sorry." She said, "Uh…are we ready to keep going?"

"No." Oobleck replied, "I believe that will have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon."

He then threw his bag to one of the girls who were standing behind him. Hearing a grunt, he knew Yang caught it.

"You three set up camp at that building. Oh, and please do make sure that there are no more of those…creatures. Your leader, Shazam and I are going to scour the perimeter. Come Ruby. Come Shazam."

"Please, just call me Billy or Mr. Batson. You don't have to use my superhero name all the time." Shazam replied and walked with Oobleck and Ruby. Zwei followed close behind the three humans. When all for walkers got to a clearing, they saw an amazing view. Trees that made up a forest and mountains in the background. What caught their attention though were the things that looked like elephants walking through the trees. These elephants looked different though. They were black with Grimm masks and spikes protruding from their backs.

"Woah." Ruby exclaimed then turned to Oobleck. "What is that? It looks awesome!"

 _Looks intimidating to me._ Billy thought.

"That my dear girl…is a Grimm." Oobleck replied. Ruby was both impressed and intimidated by what she was seeing. Those giants were Grimm and looked dangerously close to the city limits. She activated her weapon in sniper form.

"Let's kill it." She stated and cocked her gun.

"I'm afraid the only one capable of doing that right now is Shazam." Oobleck intervened, "Your sniper rifle will do nothing more than agitate a Grimm of that size."

"But what if it attacks us?"

"Hello." Billy said, "Have you forgotten I was here?"

"Fret not Ruby. Those Goliaths are not concerned with us. Ruby, not every Grimm is mindless, or rather not every Grimm is still mindless. You see, the Grimm you see before you are so powerful, so superior to the Grimm you fought, that they've undoubtably lived hundreds of years, and in their time between killing humans and attacking our borders, they've done one important thing. They've learned. They've learned that when they attack our borders, they're likely to die, and what we lack in strength…we make up for in will. And that killing one human…will only bring more."

"Then…why are they still so close to the city? What are they doing?"

"Waiting."

 _Waiting for what?_ Ruby thought to herself.

One Goliath stopped walking and looked towards where the huntsman, student, and super-hero were. After five seconds of looking, it continued on its way with the rest of the herd. Oobleck then turned and started to walk away. Ruby took one last look at the Grimm before putting her weapon away and following her teacher with Shazam right behind her. While walking though, Ruby had a question that she needed to ask.

"Doctor Oobleck?" she started.

"Hm?" the teacher answered.

"I was wondering…"

"Wondering why I've been interrogating your teammates all day?" he assumed and stopped walking to turn and look at her. She and Shazam stopped as well.

"A-A-Actually, I was wondering…why did you want to become a huntsman?"

"Look around and tell me what you see."

"Lots of old buildings…empty streets."

"I see lives that could have been saved." Oobleck then turned and continued to walk with Ruby and Shazam following. "As a huntsman, it is my job to protect the people and although I am capable of doing it with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind. As a teacher I am able to take knowledge, the most powerful weapon of them all, and place it into the hands of every student that passes through my class room. I look at this wasteland and I see live that could have been saved, but I also see an opportunity. An opportunity to study these ruins and learn from this tragedy and therefore become stronger. I am a huntsman Ruby because there is nothing else in this world…I would rather be."

"Hey, uh…" Shazam interjected, "I hate to break up the moment of student and teacher bonding, but do either of you have Theodore's phone number? I was hoping to talk to him in person but seeing as he is not here, I have to go with the alternative."

"I've got Theodore's number." Ruby said excitedly and pulled out her scroll. She was about to dial when Shazam stopped.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, "Theodore probably won't recognize me in my manly voice. I be right back."

Moving thirty feet away, he shouted the name and another lightning bolt struck him. When the smoke cleared, he was once again, Billy Batson. He then walked back to Ruby.

"Okay. Now, I'm good." He said with a smile. Ruby then dialed the number and handed her scroll to Billy.

Blake sat by the fire, making sure it didn't go out right after she lit it. Weiss just stood by, lost in her own thoughts. Yang then walked up with an upset look on her face.

"I can't believe we didn't find anything." She said.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time." Blake replied, "I guess we can't always have luck on our side."

"That's not what I meant." Weiss suddenly said.

"Huh?"

"Earlier. About…upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that."

"Yeah. No, me too." Yang added, "I mean…I don't know."

"I don't know either." Blake also added, "I know what I want to do, but…I figured I'd always take things one step at a time."

"Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here. Right?"

Neither Weiss or Blake answered Yang. They just stared at the fire. Their quiet time was interrupted by Oobleck as he dashed towards the fire and started to warm himself.

"Ah wonderful!" he exclaimed, "A textbook campfire!"

"Fire!" Ruby exclaimed with a happy shout and sat down next to it. Billy joined her a second later. "So warm."

"You can say that again." Billy said.

"Very good." Oobleck interjected, "Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?"

"Yoh." Ruby said while raising her hand. As she stood up, she felt her hand grabbed and turned to see Billy hand her back her scroll. She nodded as 'Thank you' accepted her scroll. She then placed it in her pocket and started walking to the side of the building to keep watch. Before, she got there, though, Yang stopped her.

"Hey." She said, "Did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a huntress? I mean…what did you tell him?"

"Hmm. No, he didn't." Ruby replied, "Weird. Oh well, good night guys."

Ruby then walked off to where she needed to be leaving Yang, Weiss and Blake to settle down of the night. In the darkness, somewhere in the city, a bunch of Beowolves howled causing Zwei, who was sitting right next to Ruby, to whine out of fear.

"Don't worry." She assured her dog while petting him, "Things will be better tomorrow."

* * *

(During Team RWBY's Adventure)

Saying Team CATT were skeptical would be an understatement. Each one of them was past that point since they got on the bullhead. The huntsman they were following was the story teller, Professor Port, who at the moment was telling one of his stories instead of debriefing them on the mission. Theodore had a straight face but, on the inside, he was annoyed. Clair's tiger ears were flattened on his head because he was tired of hearing the story. Argent was calmly listening and hoping for him to be done so that he could tell them what to do. Titian's patience, however, had reached its end. He stomped his foot getting the attention of his team and the professor.

"We're suppose to be on a mission!" he exclaimed to Port, "Not hearing stories from the past!"

"My apologies, young Ironwood." Port apologized, "I was so caught up in the story I completely forgot why we were on the bullhead in the first place."

 _You think?_ Clair thought sarcastically.

"Now, as you may all know, this is a search and rescue mission. Being a huntsman doesn't mean just killing Grimm. It also means to protect the innocent! As I'm sure, Mr. Constantine has been demonstrating during his whole career in Vale."

"Thanks for the complement." Theodore replied, "So, the mission said we were saving a child, but didn't go into details."

"Ah, yes! The child is the daughter of the mayor of a village near the remains of Mountain Glenn. She was kidnapped over twenty-four hours ago. The kidnappers also left a note on her bed which I have at this moment."

Port then reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Handing it to Argent, the silver haired student unfolded it and read what was written on it. What was on it made him see red.

 _Mayor,_

 _We have your daughter, Sapphire. Don't worry, she's alive and well…for now. Unless you deliver to us 100,000 lien, your little girl won't live to see another day. Come to the forest near Mountain Glenn by sundown and bring the money. Don't try to contact any huntsman or your daughter will swing from a tree by the neck._

Argent handed the note to each of his teammates while trying to contain his anger. Each member read showing their own anger. When it reached Clair, though, after reading it he shredded it until there was nothing left. This action left Professor Port stunned.

"How do people like them sleep at night?!" he asked in an angered tone.

"People who don't care for the well being of others." Argent replied in a disgusted tone, "Only themselves."

"When we find them," Theodore said, "lets be sure to hurt them before we arrest them."

"As much as I too would like to see these ruffians put in their place," Port intervened, "I need you four to control your anger until we come up with a plan."

"Oh, don't worry. I already have one."

Once they had touched down, Team CATT and Professor Port immediately set up camp. When they were finished, Theodore explained his plan. Once they had tracked the kidnappers down, one of the teammates would create a distraction while another would get the girl to safety. Once that was done, they would go on the assault and bring the kidnappers in. Port was impressed with the plan and decided to follow along with it.

Clair was able to track where the kidnappers had disappeared to after searching half an hour for tracks. While following the half-Faunus, Port started to ask some questions.

"Mr. Silvermane." He said addressing to Argent, "Why did you choose to become a huntsman?"

"Why?" Argent replied, "I've seen people suffer because there are not enough huntsman and huntresses willing to go beyond the kingdoms borders. I want to be a huntsman that will go beyond his comfort zone and help those in need."

"Ha ha! You will become a true huntsman when you graduate!"

Walking ahead, Professor Port came up next to Titian.

"Young Ironwood. As the son of one of the most esteemed soldiers in Atlas, why would you choose this life over one that has more benefits?"

"If you've forgotten," Titian replied, "I've been a soldier my whole life. I had to follow orders without question even if they were questionable. As a huntsman, I can make my own choices without putting innocent lives at risk or taking any lives."

Port just nodded his head in understanding and walked on. He then noticed Theodore, who was looking ahead and Clair who was jumping from tree to tree. Stopping on one, he raised his hand for everyone to freeze. Once they had, he jumped down from the tree and landed on the ground. Taking a few sniffs, he bent down and spotted a footprint.

"They came through here." He told them, "Six maybe seven of them. One of them was caring the girl. She was crying the whole way, probably out of fear and sadness."

"Astounding!" Port said in amazement, "Have you just learned to use this skill?!"

"I've been using it since I started my one-man war against the White Fang."

"That's right! As the Butcher once, why did you decide to become a huntsman?"

That question caught Clair by surprise and didn't speak for ten seconds before answering.

"I guess…" he started, "it was thanks to Theodore. He stopped me from killing more Faunus and from what I was becoming. A creature of darkness and vengeance. A monster. I may not be able to change the past, but I can walk towards a brighter future. That's why I chose to become a huntsman."

Port once again nodded his head in understanding and Clair continued leaping through the trees. Once everyone started to move forward again, Theodore took a few steps back to walk next to Port.

"Professor why are you questioning my team?" he asked.

"I wanted to see if their choices to become huntsmen were sincere." The professor replied, "I already know why you want to become a huntsman. Though, I must say, you are already considered a hero in all of Vale. Some people become huntsman for either fame or fortune. Your team shows both honor and valor in wanting to become defenders of humanity. Very few have those traits."

Before Port could say anything else, Clair raised his hand up for everyone to stop walking. Pointing somewhere, everyone followed his gaze to see smoke in the air. Taking cautious steps, everyone crept close while staying hidden in the shadows of the trees. What Port saw made him both amazed and shocked. There were seven bandits in the group, five men and two women, armed with weapons. Sitting near the fire was the person they had come to rescue.

She looked to be nine years old, had dark blue hair and sky-blue eyes. She was wearing school uniform, showing she was taken was she was at school. Her hands and legs were tied so that she couldn't escape. Her eyes were a bit red, showing that she had been crying. Seeing the sight made Port want to charge in their and teach the bandits a lesson but couldn't without endangering the girl's life.

"Looks like sundown is here." One of the male bandits said, "The mayor hasn't shown up with our money yet."

"Well, you know what that means." Said one of the of female bandits and pulled out a rope that was tied into a noose. She then started walking towards the girl, who had fear written all over her face and fresh tears coming out. "Guess daddy doesn't love you."

"WAIT!" called a voice. The bandits turned to what looked like a sheriff coming towards them with a bag. He was five feet from them when he had weapons trained on him. Stopping in his tracks, he raised his hands in a defensive manner.

 _Who is that?_ Port thought to himself.

"I have the money you asked from the mayor, in exchange for Sapphire's life." The sheriff said while holding the bag out to them. One of the male bandits motioned for one of them to get the bag. One complied and grabbed the bag from the sheriff. Opening it to check the contents he saw it was full of lien, exactly 100,00 in total.

"It's all here!" the bandit said turning to his companions, "Every last bit! The mayor paid up!"

"You have the money. Now, I would like to take Sapphire home." Before the sheriff could advance any further though, a sword was put to his neck.

"Who said your taking her home?" the other female bandit asked.

"The deal was the money for Sapphire's life!"

"True, but the note didn't say you could take her back." Another one of the bandits said with a smirk.

 _What's going on?! The sheriff is ruining the plan!_ Port thought to himself and noticed that Theodore and Clair were missing. Looking back towards the commotion, he noticed that Sapphire was floating in the air with a scared look on her face. Not one of the bandits were noticing what was going on behind them.

"She's not going anywhere!" the bandits said, "That is our final decision."

"That's too bad for you." The sheriff said with a smile and swung a sword at them. The bandits dodged, wondering where he got the weapon. The appearance then faded away to that of Theodore in an instant. The bandits were shocked while Port was surprised.

 _So that is what he meant by distraction!_ Port thought.

"It's Theodore Conestrain!" one of the bandits exclaimed.

"IT'S CONSTANTINE!" Theodore shouted, and the fight started. All seven bandits charged at Theodore, but some were intercepted by Titian and Argent. Port watched in astonishment as Theodore and most of his teammates handled themselves. Just then, he saw Sapphire floating to him. She stopped a few feet away from him and Clair materialized in front, holding her. He handed her to Port who took her into his arms and comforted her.

"It's alright. You're safe now." He said, and Sapphire calmed down, realizing she was safe. Port then looked to Clair. "How were you able to…"

"My semblance is invisibility." Clair answered then dashed towards where the fighting was. Port and Sapphire watched as Team CATT took down the bandits as if it was nothing. Once they had defeated them, they tied them up to make sure they wouldn't escape.

"Not so fun when you're the victim, is it?" Argent asked in an angry voice.

"What happens now?" one of the female bandits asked.

"Sapphire goes home, and you go to prison." Titian replied.

"WELL DONE, STUDENTS!" Port shouted, "WELL DONE!"

After returning Sapphire home, the group returned to their camp, though some of the villagers took pictures with them first. Once they had reached camp, Port decided to tell some more stories to the boy's dismay. He was interrupted when he heard a ring come from one of his students scrolls. Theodore showed it was his by raising it in air, revealing Ruby's ID on the screen. Standing up, he walked away to answer by hitting the green icon.

"Hey Ruby." He started.

"Sorry, you're talking to the wrong person." Said a boy's voice.

"Who are you and how did you get Ruby's scroll?!" Theodore asked in a threatening manner.

"Whoa! Calm down Merlin Jr. If I had known you were going to act like that, I would've waited to see you in person."

That nickname caught Theodore by surprise. The only person who ever called him that was…

"Billy Batson?" he asked, "Is that you?!"

"The one and only." Billy answered.

"Hey man! How have you been and how did you get to Remnant?!"

"I'm good and long story short, your dad sent me here to find you."

"My dad huh? Worried about me?"

"Why wouldn't he be? You disappeared out of the blue and no one could find you."

"How did he send you to the right place, though?"

"He went back to the theater and looked for some of your magic residue. Then, he narrowed down the location and sent me here to come find you."

"So, you ended up with Team RWBY?"

"Yup. Gotta say, I thought I would have to help them, but let me tell you. They are no damsels in distress. If a dragon was dumb enough to try and capture them, they would kill the dragon and make clothes out of its scales."

"Yeah, that's Team RWBY for you."

"Oh, almost at the camp. Got to go. Nice talking to you."

"Same here, Billy."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Theodore then hung up and walked back to the campsite. He took his usual seat and waited for Port to question him. As if on que…

"Good talk?" he asked.

"Yes, it was." Theodore answered, "Who's going to take first watch?"

"I'll take it." Titian said, "I can go six hours without sleep."

"Very well." Port said and walked off to his sleeping bag. Before he could settle down of the night, though, he saw Theodore walk up to him.

"Professor." He said.

"Yes?" Port answered.

"With your permission, I would like to head to Mountain Glenn to search for possible White Fang activity. My teammates and I have a waiting period for when we are separated. If there is no contact for a certain amount of time, we come and search for one another. If you want us to wait for you- "

"Mr. Constantine." Port interrupted, "I have been around you long enough to know that you and your tea are responsible and will look out for each other. Besides, we already completed our mission, now go do your own."

Theodore looked at Port in surprise. A teacher from Beacon was allowing him to separate from the group and go on his own to search for the White Fang. Standing up and thanking Port for giving permission, he walked back to his team and told about what was going to happen. Once they were informed, they all headed off to bed, ready for what was going to happen in the morning.

* * *

 **AN: Hey everyone. Sorry I took so long to upload this chapter, but I had a-lot of projects to work on. However, YES! I have put a experienced hero in this chapter, SHAZAM! I will try to either add another or put in a different OC in the next few chapters. Until then, Sentinel Prime out!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Ironwood stood near the edge of one of the landings pads at Beacon, staring at the city and the bullheads flying over it. His thoughts were on a few things including Ozpin, Theodore Constantine and Titian. He was so consumed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Glynda walk up to him until she spoke.

"Trouble sleeping?" she asked getting the general's attention.

"Arm is acting up." He answered with a smile, while rubbing his left arm.

"Of course. So, logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance. What's wrong?"

"I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just…I can't help but feel…like he's keeping us in the dark."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark."

"That makes it worse. I refuse to believe that a man I've trusted for so long…would act so…passively."

"You're a good person James." Glynda said in a kind voice while putting her hand on his shoulder, "You've always done what you think is best for the people. Even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stop talking about trust and started showing it. Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack, and I think that's something worth remembering."

Glynda then removed her hand from James' shoulder and looked off into the distance. In the general's thoughts, he still had one thing that was bothering him. Something that Constantine had said to him before Ozpin sent the student's out on their missions.

 _"General,"_ he remembered him saying, _"how is it that you can shower praise on anyone except your own son?"_ This caused him to shutter at re-hearing those words. However, he remembered something that came from his son, the day he saw him again at Beacon. When he pulled back his sleeve and showed them his scar that James', his own father, had given him.

 _"NO! DON'T CALL ME THAT!"_ He remembered after calling Titian 'son.' _"YOU LOST EVERY RIGHT TO CALL ME THAT WHEN YOU HAD ME FIGHT YOU IN A MOCK BATTLE! You did this to me! REMEMBER?!"_

"Glynda." He said getting the combat instructor's attention, "Do you think…I'm a terrible father?"

"This is concerning your son?" Glynda asked.

"Yes. He must hate me for what I did to him."

"James, I'm sure he doesn't hate you. I think he just doesn't trust you anymore. I believe that all you must do is regain his trust by showing that you are genuinely sorry for what happened to him in the past. We all make mistakes, even Ozpin."

"Aren't there just some mistakes that you wish you could take back?"

"There are a few I could think of, yes. Are there some for you?"

"The reason why I enlisted Titian in the army at such a young age was because I thought it would help him cope with his mother's death. I was wrong. After every training session he went through, he would return to his sleeping quarters, crying for her until he fell asleep. He did this until he turned thirteen." Ironwood then pulled out his scroll and opened an image.

On it was him, a little younger and smiling, with a young woman standing next to him who was smiling as well. She had purple hair that reached halfway down her back. She had two different colored eyes. Her left eye was blue while her right was red. She was wearing a yellow, sleeveless sundress that reached to her knees. Standing in front of her was an eight-year-old Titian who was also smiling. Standing next to him and in front of Ironwood, was a boy who looked exactly like Titian except his eyes were blue and he was smiling as well. Seeing the picture caused a small smile to show up on James' face but then it turned back into a frown.

"How would Mauve feel if she saw how Titian turned out?" he asked with a single tear running down his left eye.

"Well…I assume she would be a bit disappointed," Glynda assumed, "and extremely angry as any wife and mother would be, but in the end, I believe she would forgive you nonetheless. You tried to help your son. You just went about it the wrong way."

"I doubt Theodore Constantine would come the same conclusion."

"I'm sure Mr. Constantine has been through some heartbreaking situations, so he would try to understand why you did it and not jump to conclusions."

"Maybe." Ironwood put his scroll away and continued to look out into the distance. "Thank you, Glynda. It's nice to have someone to talk to when one's feeling down."

"Your welcome." Glynda replied with a smile and continued to look out to the distance as well.

* * *

Back in Mountain Glenn, Ruby was keeping watch while her teammates, professor and the self-proclaimed third wheel slept. She was looking through her scope when she noticed a Beowulf sniffing close to where they were sleeping. It looked in Ruby's direction but then looked away and trudged on. The silver eyed girl sighed in relief and continued to be on the lookout, though she started to fall asleep. Ruby may have thought her teammates were asleep, but in reality, Yang was awake still thinking on the conversation she, Blake, and Weiss were having earlier.

"Blake, are you awake?" Yang asked the Faunus.

"Yeah." Blake replied.

"Why do you think he asked us about being a huntress? Like…what was he trying to say?"

"Maybe he was just curious."

"You think?"

"…No."

"Weiss, are you awake?"

"Of course, I'm awake!" the heiress replied, "You two are talking. And I think he…when I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it, but…it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee dust company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a…moral grey area."

"That's putting it lightly." Blake responded.

"Which is why I feel the need to make things right! If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our family name and I refuse to let him be the end of it."

"All my life, I've fought for what I thought was right." Blake said, "I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place, but of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be…not perfect for everyone. I joined the academy because I knew huntsmen and huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good, but I never really thought past that. When I leave the academy, what will I…how can I undo some many years of hate?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Yang assured her, "You're not one to back down from a challenge Blake."

"But I am! I do it all the time. When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do so I ran. When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran. Even my semblance. I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away. If you think about it, Clair is my exact opposite when it comes to dealing with problems."

"What does the Butcher have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

"That day, when I was being stubborn towards everyone's attempts to help me, he told me about his past."

"His past?" Yang asked with interest.

"He's the son of a human and a Faunus, a half-breed. Proof that both of our kinds can coexist. He even lived in the small town of Shambala. You know how it was said that a wildfire destroyed that town. Well…it was a lie. In truth, it was Adam and the White Fang who destroyed it. They killed everyone living in Shambala, young, old, women, children, human and Faunus. All, just to hide the fact that humans and Faunus could coexist without bloodshed. Clair was the only survivor. What he had for thirteen years, he lost in thirteen minutes."

Both Yang and Weiss had surprised and sorrowful looks on their faces after hearing what Blake said.

"That…makes sense for a lot of things." Weiss said.

"How is he your opposite though Blake?" Yang asked.

"Unlike me, he doesn't run away from his problems." Blake answered, "He faces them head on. How do you explain all the attacks on the White Fang for the past five years? That was all him. Instead of hiding forever from the ones who took everything from him, he decided to confront them, even if his tactics were extreme. He even admitted that he was in the wrong. Other than that, he rose above what happened to him and didn't run away. That is how he is my opposite."

Yang and Weiss now had an understanding on what Blake meant when she said that Clair was her opposite.

"Since you mentioned Clair," Weiss said, "I've been thinking about Titian and some things he told me about his past while we were dancing."

"Soldier boy talked about his past?" Yang asked.

"Not most of it. Just some small details concerning who he trusts and doesn't trust. He told me that he doesn't hate his father. He just…doesn't trust him as much. The one person he really hates is his captain. Some of the orders he was given were…questionable. He never went into details. He just said he finally had enough and left the army. He became a bounty hunter until he met Theodore and decided to become one of his contacts."

"Was there anyone he still trusted?" Blake asked.

"Just one. His twin brother, Cobalt, who's older than him by five minutes. He constantly stays in contact with him asking how things have been and letting know how he is doing. In fact, Cobalt is the one who made the new military tech that's been stolen."

"Really?!" Yang exclaimed, "If Cobalt's anything like his brother, I would hate to be the ones that stole it."

"I'm sure he can defend himself, but I don't think he's a fighter like Titian. Building things was his way of coping with their mom's death."

"I think we should stop there." Blake said then turned to Yang. "What about you? Did Argent say anything while you two were dancing?"

"He did actually." Yang replied, "Do you remember Neo? The girl who stopped us from catching Torchwick?" Both Weiss and Blake nodded. "Well, she's Argent's sister."

Bothe the heiress and disguised Faunus both gave a look of shock from hearing what Yang said.

"His sister?!" they both exclaimed.

"Yeah. He was pretty saddened learning that she joined the most wanted criminal in Vale. He said that he had two sisters. Neo went missing one day and the other one died. He said that he wanted to become a huntsman because there aren't enough in the world that will leave their comfort zone and head outside of the borders to help others."

"That's very sad." Blake said in a sad tone.

"Learning that your sister is a criminal would be heartbreaking." Weiss added.

"Heartbreaking or not," Yang chimed in, "at least you two and Team CATT have something that drives them. I've just kind of always…gone with the flow, you know. That's fine, I mean that's who I am, but how long could I really do that for? I wanna be a huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring, and that'll be a good thing. Being a huntress just happens to line up with that.

"I'm not like Ruby. She's always wanted to be a huntress. It's like she said. Ever since she was a kid, she dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."

"Well, she's still just a kid." Weiss said.

"She's only two years younger." Blake corrected, "We're all kids."

"Well, not anymore." Yang intervened, "I mean, look where we are. In the middle of a war zone and armed to the teeth."

"It's the life we chose." Blake said.

"It's a job." Weiss clarified, "We all had this romanticized vision of being a huntress in our heads, but at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people. And whatever we want will have to come second."

Unbeknownst to the girls, Oobleck was somewhat awake and heard the whole thing. He smiled at hearing that they finally understood at what it means to be a huntress and let sleep take over.

Hours passed, and the fire had died down, leaving only a few sparking embers. Ruby had gone to her sleeping bag and fallen asleep with Zwei right next to her, while Yang was keeping watch. The dog then stood up, his movements causing Ruby to partially wake up. She looked at him and saw he was facing the way out.

"Zwei, it's late." She said, "Go back to bed."

The dog didn't listen and took off. Ruby quietly snuck away and chased after Zwei. She searched around the ruins, quietly calling out his name until she found him near one of the pillars, doing his business ( **If you know what I mean** ). Ruby waked up to him when he was done with a sigh of relief.

"Zwei this is a wasteland." She said, "You literally could have done that anywhere."

Zwei barked as an answer. As she was picking him up, she heard a voice that she didn't recognize.

"What was that?" the voice said, belonging to a man. Ruby quickly hid herself and Zwei and cautiously looked for the source. To her shock she saw two White Fang members standing near one of the demolished buildings.

"What was what?" the other one asked.

"I thought I heard a Beowulf somewhere." The first one said.

"Grr. Let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps."

Ruby put down Zwei and was about to follow until she felt a hand cover her mouth and an arm around her waist. Zwei turned around was about to bark until he saw who it was and stayed silent. Ruby was also turned around, with a hand still covering her mouth and her expression went from shock to surprise. She saw Theodore motioning for her to stay quiet. She nodded, letting him know that she would, and the hand was removed from her mouth.

"What are you doing here?!" she whispered.

"Finding the White Fang's base in the southeast." He answered, "What are you doing?"

"The same thing."

"Not alone, you're not."

"I have Zwei."

"I meant people wise."

Ruby and Theodore stealthy followed the White Fang members without making a single sound. Zwei was also following and was surprisingly very quiet. When they past a corner though, Ruby almost blew their cover, but Theodore prevented that. Ruby then held Zwei out while she and Theodore remained hidden.

"Did they go in yet?" she asked Zwei, "One bark means yes."

Seeing the door open and close, Zwei barked once.

 _That is one smart dog._ Theodore thought to himself.

"Oh! This is it! This is it!" Ruby said excitedly as she put Zwei down. She then pulled out her scroll and tried calling for her team. Sadly, the signal was low, and she couldn't call the. She looked to Theodore hoping he could reach them or his team. He tried and was reward with the same problem Ruby got.

"Bollocks." He said in a low voice.

"Come on. We got to get the others." Ruby said and started to walk off towards the rendezvous point. When they took a few steps though, the ground under them started to collapse. Theodore was the first to lose his footing as a giant hole was made in the ground. He desperately clung to the edge, hoping to not fall. He saw Zwei right next to him and caught him before he could fall further.

"Give me your hand!" Ruby said, holding out her own.

"Catch Zwei first!" Theodore exclaimed, tossing the corgi to his owner. Ruby caught her dog and then set him down on solid ground. She then carefully crawled to where Theodore was holding on and reached out to grab his hand. She was able to get a grip, but the ground under her started to collapse. Trying to pull him up as fast as possible, Ruby didn't anticipate the ground immediately falling apart. Both she and Theodore fell down the hole that was created.

Seeing something solid come into view below them, Theodore quickly enveloped Ruby in a tight hug. She didn't understand until she felt an impact that sent her flying. After three seconds of flying she fell on solid ground. Getting up, she saw what looked like an underground city. Just like Mountain Glenn, this city was also in ruins, falling apart and devoid of life. She kept staring until she heard a groan. Turning to the source she saw Theodore on his back, trying to get up. She was about to help him when he motioned for her to stop.

"Don't…move…a muscle." He said with difficulty from hitting the ground very hard. He was slowly losing consciousness and knew the commotion would bring unfriendly people. Snapping his fingers, Ruby noticed that her hand disappeared. Looking at herself, trying to at least, she figured out that Theodore had turned her invisible. Seeing that she was invisible, Theodore gave a small smile and lost consciousness. Ruby was about to run towards him when the doors opened, making her freeze. Two White Fang members came through the doors with their guns at the ready.

"FREEZE!" shouted one of the members expecting to see someone. The only one they saw was an unconscious Theodore. The other member walked up to him, knelt down and checked his pulse.

"He's unconscious but alive." He said to his partner.

"Is that Theodore Constantine?" the other member asked, clearly a newbie.

"Yep, this is him. The human that protects the Faunus. It's comforting to know that there are humans who care."

"What are we supposed to do now? Kill him?"

Hearing that caused Ruby to reach behind her to grab her weapon but felt nothing. She remembered that she dropped it to try and help Theodore. The senior member stood up and looked at his partner.

"No!" he exclaimed, "Don't you remember at the rally?! Our orders are to bring him back alive!"

"Oh right!" the newbie exclaimed, "We're going to show why we are doing things our way. The boss is going to want to see this one. Should we tie him up though, you know, just in case he wakes up?"

"That's a good idea." The senior member rolled Theodore onto his belly and pulled out a two-foot rope. Using it, he bound the young sorcerer's hands behind his back. He then turned Theodore over again and motioned for his partner to move to his legs. Both members then picked him up and carried him through the door. Once the door closed, the invisibility spell wore off. Knowing that her friend was in trouble, Ruby decided to sneak into the base and save him.

* * *

Yang had just finished her watch and moved away from her spot to where Weiss was sleeping.

"Hey Weiss, it's your- "she stopped when she noticed the empty sleeping bag. "Ruby? Hey! Where's Ruby?"

"What?" said Oobleck as he came rushing in. Blake, Weiss, and Billy got up at hearing that one of the teammates was missing. Zwei then came running in, stopping in front of Yang and whining.

"Zwei?" Yang said, kneeling and petting him.

"What's going on?" Blake asked.

"Grab your weapons!" Oobleck ordered, "Mr. Batson, please become your hero form. Miss Rose may be in danger."

"You got it." Billy said and stepped outside. Everyone heard him shot 'SHAZAM' and lightning followed. Shazam then walked in. "Let's go."

Theodore started to wake up and noticed he was restrained and being carried. Looking around he saw the Atlas military tech that was reported stolen and crates full of dust.

 _What are they planning to do? Start a war?!_ He thought to himself and then looked to where he heard a crash. Looking around he saw a train with a lot of cars attached. Inside one of them were two White Fang members around a huge device.

"Hey! Be careful!" one of them exclaimed, "What are you trying to do?! Blow us to the moon?!"

"Sorry sir!" the other apologized.

 _What are the bombs for?_ Theodore asked himself. He then felt his trip stop and he fell to the ground on his back. The senior member got him up on his knees so that his face could be seen.

"Hey boss!" the member shouted, "Found someone you might want to see!"

"Is it good or bad Perry because let me tell you. I've have had a day!" replied an all too familiar voice.

 _Oh no._ Theodore thought to himself in an annoyed tone.

"Well…it's Theodore Constantine."

Out popped the figure of Roman Torchwick who had a surprised look on his face.

"That would be bad and good at the same time." He said while throwing away his cigar.

* * *

"Ruby's scythe!" Yang exclaimed as she and the group followed Zwei and found their leader's weapon on the ground. Hearing movement, Zwei looked up and started barking. Following his gaze, the group (expect Shazam) recognized the three members of Team CATT with one T missing.

"What are you doing here?!" Yang asked.

"Looking for Theodore!" Clair answered, "What about you?!"

"We're looking for Ruby!" Blake replied.

"Do you think she met up with Theodore and fell?" Weiss asked.

"Fell?!" Oobleck asked looking up at the sky.

"I think she meant down there." Shazam said pointing to the hole in the ground. Looking down at the hole, Oobleck got a look of surprise.

"Oh my." Oobleck said, "Of course. Of course, of course, OF COURSE!"

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID?!"

"Doctor Oobleck, what's wrong?!" Yang asked.

"Mountain Glenn!" he said getting in Yang's and Blake's faces, "Yes! An expansion of Vale that was inevitably destroyed by creatures of Grimm! Previous home to thousands of people, working people commuting to the city, the main city, developed a subway system to inner city! Grimm attacks increase, population in danger now desperately searching for shelter! City evacuates into metro tunnels and what do they find?! The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests and deep caves!"

"Doc, what are you saying?"

"My dear, we're not just looking an underground crime network. We're looking for an UNDERGROUND CRIME NETWORK!"

"They've been working in caves?" Blake assumed.

"No! No! Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion! It worked for a short period of time, thanks to impressive perimeter defense and unique transportation. The city of Vale did an elaborate subway system to carry citizens safely from the new territory into the main kingdom. Sadly, without the many natural barriers Vale had to protect its borders, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start. As the end drew near, the citizens of the territory made one last attempt at survival. They took up shelter beneath the city, in massive caves that they had cleared out for the subway and they had cut themselves off from the surface."

"An underground village?" Yang asked.

"In a matter of speaking, yes, a safe haven. until…an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern…filled with subterranean Grimm. After that…the kingdom officially sealed off the tunnels…creating the worlds largest tomb." Oobleck then turned what looked like his bottle of water into a flame thrower. "If Ruby and Theodore are down there…we must find them."

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for not posting the chapter like I was supposed to. Finals are this week and it is been hectic. I have yet to see the released episodes of Volume Six but I'm going to not watch them until I am finished with this story. Thank you all for your patience. Sentinel Prime, out!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Ruby did her best to stay hidden from the White Fang members as she followed the ones carrying Theodore. She was both happy and scared. Happy because the base of operations was found. Scared because she was in a room full of murderous Faunus without her weapon. She then noticed Torchwick standing in front of her friend. She was shocked when she saw Torchwick hit Theodore in the face with his cane, causing the young sorcerer to fall on his side. It took all of her will power to not jump out her hiding spot and rush at them.

"Not so tough, now are you?" Torchwick said in a teasing voice. He didn't expect Theodore to stand up, stomp on his foot and headbutt him. Torchwick took a few steps back while rubbing his head.

"If you think I'll go down without a fight, your mistaken Torchwick." Theodore said, "You'll find I'm just as stubborn as you. I'll fight you, the White Fang and your boss, Cinder, until my dying breath."

Hearing Cinder's name caused the thief to look at the young sorcerer in surprise.

"Where did you hear that name?" Roman asked.

"That's my business." Theodore answered.

"Hmmm. Oh well. Other than that, how did you find this place Constantine?"

"By accident, actually. The ground gave way and I fell down here, really hard."

"Ouch. That explains why you were unconscious and had to be carried here."

Theodore then looked around the room to the White Fang members.

"Why are you doing this?!" he asked them. One member walked up to him and removed his helmet. He looked to be 24, had short brown hair, green eyes and dog ears on his head.

"Mr. Constantine," he said, "do you know what we were before we took up arms?"

"You did peaceful protests." Theodore answered.

"Yes. Though our voices were heard the humans wouldn't listen to us. The discrimination and abuse of our kind continued. So, when a new leader came to power, we took up arms and decided to fight back."

"By any means necessary?"

"Yes, by any means necessary."

"Look, I understand why you all chose to fight. Believe me, I think Jacque the Fake Schnee," this got laughs from the White Fang members, "deserves to have some chaos brought down on him, but don't go causing chaos. Not like this! You think starting a war will help?! It won't! It will only make things worse! That woman, Cinder, she can't be trusted. To her and her cronies, you all are nothing but pawns in her game. Whatever promises she made to you, they were nothing but lies. Once you've fulfilled your usefulness, she'll make sure none of you are around to see the outcome of what she has planned."

All the White Fang members talked amongst themselves, wondering if what Theodore said was true. While they were doing that, Torchwick walked up to Theodore to talk to him.

"Got to admit." Roman said, "You have them scared right now. You want my two cents, even I don't trust Cinder."

"Then why work for her?" Theodore asked, "You're the most expendable. A criminal hated by all of Vale, no one would miss you."

"True, but I'm in because of the money I could get out of this. Believe me, I want to believe you but I'm not so sure. Other than that, I don't know what's going to happen to you from here."

Torchwick's last part had a point. Now that he knew of the base's location, would he either be killed or taken prisoner? Before he could come to a conclusion, something zipped past him and into Torchwick. The said object bounced off the thief and landed on its back. Theodore saw that it was Ruby. She had tried to knock the thief off balance and failed.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." Roman said looking at Ruby, "Wow! You are much more manageable without that oversized gardening tool of yours."

"Leave Theodore alone!" Ruby exclaimed and once again rushed at Torchwick. The thief easily dodged and gave her a small shove with his cane.

"Oh man." Said Roman after laughing a bit. He then kneeled and pressed the bottom of his cane against Ruby's neck. "I didn't expect to see you down here as well. Seriously though, how were you able to find this place Red?"

"ROMAN!" Theodore shouted making the White Fang members jump in surprise. "Hurt her and you'll be in for a WORLD OF PAIN!"

"Don't worry lover boy." Roman said in a cool tone without breaking eye contact with Ruby, "I'm not going to hurt your girlfriend."

That last part caused both Ruby and Theodore to blush. The silver eyed student quickly shook off the embarrassment and used her semblance to disappear from Torchwick.

"Huh?!" Torchwick exclaimed looking around but not seeing Ruby. He also noticed that Theodore was gone as well. Looking behind him, he saw both running away. "Woah!" was all he could say. Seeing that Theodore's hands were still tied though, he flipped his cane around until the hook part was pointing at them. The hook then fired away from the cane, with a line attached and hooked onto Theodore's trench coat. Theodore lost balance and fell on his back while Roman reeled him in.

"THEODORE!" Ruby shouted when she saw him getting pulled back.

"I see your girlfriend has got a few tricks up her sleeve." Roman said when Theodore was in front of him, still on his back. "Let me make this clear. We're not through here yet."

Before him or Ruby could do anything else, an explosion was heard behind where she was.

"Oh, what the…" Roman exclaimed then turned to Perry, "Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that? Kind of in the middle of something."

Perry just nodded his head and started to walk off until another explosion shook the place, making every White Fang member stop in their tracks.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Roman shouted to whoever was at that location. More explosions and screams were heard as White Fang members started running away from whatever was happening.

"Backup." Theodore simply said as the familiar figures of Blake, Yang, Weiss, Zwei, and Oobleck, came into view. Unknown to Torchwick, Theodore had been working on the knots of the rope and was able to untie them. Ruby dashed straight to the thief and pulled his hat over his eyes. Theodore then quickly stood up and punched him in the face. Both he and Ruby started to run towards the group as fast as they could. Roman recovered from the punch and looked at where they were going.

"SOMEBODY STOP THEM!" he shouted and started shooting at them. Other White Fangs members started to shoot as well, to injure not kill. Theodore looked behind and saw the incoming threat.

"BARRIER!" he shouted while raising his hand behind him. A large circle of energy appeared blocking the bullets. Roman bent his cane in frustration and turned around.

"Attach this car and spread the word!" he said to a member, "We're starting the train."

"But we're not finished." The member replied and got pinned to the train with Roman's cane on his neck.

"Do it or your finished." Roman clarified, letting him go and walking away. Ruby and Theodore noticed the shooting had stopped but didn't stop running. Theodore let the barrier down but regretted it immediately when looking forward to seeing four White Fang soldiers ahead. Both students skidded to a halt as guns were pointed at them.

"Peekaboo." A voice said before the White Fang soldiers got zapped. All four soldiers faceplanted to reveal the smiling form of Shazam.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you." Theodore said with a smile and shook his hand. Ruby ran past them both and embraced her sister. Everyone else caught up after the explosions died down.

"Are you two OK?" Weiss asked.

"We're fine. We're fine!" Ruby said after letting go of Yang, "But listen. Torchwick's got all sorts of weapons and robots down there."

"What?" Blake asked while giving Ruby her weapon back.

"Androids. Mechs. They're all loaded up on the train cars."

"Ah, that's ridiculous." Oobleck said, "These tunnels are sealed. The tracks lead to a dead end."

He was proven wrong when a voice was heard from the speakers.

"Get to your places!" it said, "We are leaving now!"

With that the train started to move towards the tunnel it was facing. The whistle blew, and the train started to pick up speed.

"Well it sounds like they're going somewhere!" Yang retorted.

"We need back up." Ruby said and was about to dial a number until she heard footsteps. Turning to the source she saw three White Fang members running towards her and the group with their weapons drawn. Before they could make another move, three figures leapt from the beams of an old building and rendered the members unconscious.

"Good thing you have us." The familiar voice of Argent said. He, Clair, and Titian ran towards the group for further instructions.

"What took you so long?!" Weiss asked.

"We took a wrong turn." Titian answered.

"What do we do now?" Clair asked.

"I believe we only have one option." Oobleck said.

"We're stopping that train." Ruby said getting her weapon ready.

"You'll have to do it without me though." Said Shazam. Everyone looked to him with a questionable look which turned to surprise when they saw him. He was starting to fade. "The deal was when I found Theodore, I would get transported back. Sorry, I won't be able to help you guys with this one."

"It's okay, Billy." Theodore said, "When you see dad, tell him to get off my back."

"Don't worry. I will. Until next time, Merlin Jr."

"Until next time, Big Red Cheese."

With that said with smiles, Shazam faded from everyone's sight. Once he was gone, everyone ran to catch up with the train. They were successful in getting on but unsuccessful in stopping someone from noticing.

Inside of the train, Torchwick was in the control room, happy he lost Theodore and his band of misfits. He happiness was short lived though when a White Fang member came in with bad news.

"Boss!" he called, "They made it on the train!"

Roman let out a sight of aggravation before answering.

"Then grab some cargo and get them off the train!" he said. The member then left with the orders.

"Man. Animals. Everyone of them." He said to himself but then corrected it when he noticed the member with boar tusks next to him. "Not you, though. Your, uh, your great."

"Hurry children!" Oobleck ordered, "We must get to the front and stop this train!"

"Uhhh, Professor." Weiss called while holding open a hatch.

"Doctor." Oobleck corrected.

"What's that?"

Everyone looked to see a strange device on the top instead of a way in. Theodore and Oobleck were about to answer until Titian spoke up.

"Oh no." he said, "That's a bomb."

"You are correct young Ironwood." Oobleck clarified.

Team RWBY stepped back in shock at hearing the news. Ruby then noticed something else.

"We got baddies!" she said while pointing her finger. Sure enough, multiple White Fang members were climbing onto the train and advancing towards the students, though it would take them a while to reach them.

"Well I didn't expect them to go- "Oobleck started but was interrupted when he heard something power on. The bomb had turned on and started its countdown. "easy on us. Time to go!"

"Clair!" Theodore exclaimed, "Detach the caboose!"

"On it!" Clair replied. While everyone else moved to the next car, Clair jumped down to deal with the problem at hand. He was about to slash at the coupling when it detached itself.

"It decoupled itself!" he shouted.

"What?!" Oobleck exclaimed at hearing the news.

"I guess he really doesn't want us on this train." Argent said. Everyone watched as the car exploded from a safe distance.

"That's not good." Oobleck said.

"Uh, neither is this!" Ruby said drawing everyone's attention. She and Weiss were holding open a hatch that revealed…

"Another bomb?!" Blake exclaimed. Oobleck was starting to get worried and ran past them to the other car while saying 'No, no, no, no!' He opened the hatch that revealed what he dreaded.

"THEY ALL HAVE BOMBS!" he shouted to the students. Just as he finished saying that, they car RWBY and CATT were on decoupled itself. They quickly leapt onto the next one to avoid getting blown up.

"This doesn't make sense!" Yang exclaimed. They didn't get to ponder on the thought long though as the White Fang members got closer to them.

"GET THE HUMANS!" one of them shouted.

"That's our que." Theodore said to everyone who nodded and readied their weapons. The fight didn't last long though. Each student took down the members like it was nothing. Theodore was careful though to make sure none of them died. When some fell off the train, he used his magic to make sure they got a soft landing. Oobleck was watching from a distance but turned his eyes away from the fight to watch the car. It exploded when it reached a safe distance, leaving a hole in the ceiling and that is when Oobleck saw their true intensions. Grimm started to flood the cave and gave chase to the train.

"Oh dear." Was all he could say as he watched the Grimm chase the train. He knew that the students needed to be informed so he called to them. "HE'S LEADING GRIMM TO THE CITY!"

"WHAT?!" Both Weiss and Titian exclaimed.

"IT'S THE CARS! THEY DETACH AND EXPLODE CREATING OPENINGS FOR THE GRIMM!"

"That's insane!" Blake exclaimed with worry. The next car detached itself to create another hole.

"We have to hurry!" Oobleck exclaimed while running to them. "You six, go below and try to stop those bombs!"

"What about us?" Ruby asked gesturing to her, Theodore and Zwei.

"We're going to stop this train!"

"Yeah. We know. Ruby said that earlier." Theodore said. Everyone then started to run towards the front. On the car, containing the paladins, a few were manned and activated for combat. One climbed up and started to run towards the group. While Blake, Weiss, Yang, Titian, Argent, and Clair made it inside, Ruby, Oobleck, Theodore, and Zwei were still on top.

"Up ahead!" Oobleck said to Ruby and Theodore. Looking ahead, a paladin had made its way to them and stopped in its tracks. They did the same.

"We've got a problem!" Oobleck stated.

"You think?!" Theodore asked. He was surprised when Oobleck pulled out his water bottle and drank from it. What scared him to a degree was the smirk the doctor had on his face after finishing. His surprised increased when he saw the bottle turned into a flamethrower. His attention went to Zwei when the dog barked. He was shocked when the corgi jumped in the air, curled itself into a ball and Oobleck hit him like he was a baseball. The dog flew towards the paladin not as an item for a game, but as a fireball of doom. He hit the paladin full force causing it to fall off the train.

 _Is that dog Firestorm's pet or something?!_ Theodore thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when another paladin stepped forth. He was about to engage when fire started to hit the machine. Then, out of the blue, Oobleck dashed right through the behemoth, causing it to fall off the train. _OK. He just went from boring to awesome!_

The other six landed in a car planning to move forward. If the train got through, who knows what havoc would come out of the this.

* * *

"I guess this is what we trained for." Yang said in a serious tone.

"You got that right." Clair said while unsheathing his claws.

"Here. This should help you." Weiss said to Blake while handing her a clip of ammo. The Faunus accepted it and loaded her weapon. All six then started to run towards the front of the train. As they reached halfway past through the car, a figure jumped down in front causing them to stop in their tracks. It was Neo, who stood up with a confident look on her face.

"You five go on ahead." Yang said while staring Neo down, "This one's mine."

She watched as the group ran past her and got into a fighting stance. Neo got into a fighting position as well seeing the group come near her. Her mission was to not let them pass. Before she could engage them though, a missile missed her just a few inches. The explosion was small and did little damage to the floor of the car. She didn't pay attention as four of the students ran by, just on the figure who fired the shot.

Yang looked perplexed at what happened. Counting the people that ran past Neo, she saw only four. Looking behind her, she saw Argent standing a few feet away with his bazooka aimed at Neo. Yang deduced that he gave his sister a warning shot, telling her that her fight was with him. She watched as he put the bazooka away and walked towards Neo. Yang noticed that his face was in a sorrowful look.

 _He doesn't want to fight her._ She thought. Yang observed as Argent stopped four inches from Neo, while the bandit's sidekick stood to her full height. Comparing her height to Argent, he was a giant. Yang also noticed that Neo's confident smirk was gone and replaced with a sorrowful look as well. _She doesn't want to fight him._

"Neo," Argent said, "if this train gets through, a lot of innocent people are going to die. I can't let that happen."

The blond brawler noticed a single tear slide down the right side of his face.

"Please don't force me to fight you."

Neo still had the sorrowful look on her face as she signed, _Don't worry…you won't have to._ With that said, she hit Argent in the face with her umbrella and sent him into the wall. Yang had a look of shock on her face. She saw Argent during some sparring sessions in class and hardly anyone could get him off the ground, not even Pyrrha could move him without using her semblance. She then looked to Neo, her expression turning to anger.

"How could you do that to your own BROTHER?!" she asked, shouting the last word as she charged. Sadly, Neo was able to intercept all her attacks and landing her own counter attacks on her. Yang tried again and again with no success. Trying to blast the little ice cream themed Hench girl, she missed as Neo backflipped onto a crate, sat on it and opened her umbrella. She was taunting Yang, daring her to keep trying.

* * *

Weiss, Blake, Titian and Clair continued to run towards the head train until they saw someone else get in their way. Walking towards them, with a long sword length chainsaw, was the White Fang lieutenant who was at the recruiting rally. He was going to try and stop them from the reaching the front.

"You two go on ahead." Weiss said to Blake and Clair.

"Got it." Blake replied.

The lieutenant gave off an evil laugh before staring to swing his weapon. His attack was intercepted by Blake who ran past him with Clair right behind her. Weiss and Titian took turns trying to slash the White Fang member and after a few misses were able to knock him down to the ground. Both looked to see their friends vanish into the next room but had their guard back up when the lieutenant stood back, laughing in the process.

"Finally, I get to kill a Schnee." He said, standing ready to attack. Weiss also stood at the ready. The Faunus charged but was intercepted by Titian, who blocked the strike with his sword.

"You have to get past me first!" He said in a determined tone, pushing the lieutenant back and getting in his own fighting stance.

* * *

Blake and Clair stopped halfway through the car they entered when they saw their opposition. Roman Torchwick stood in front of them with a smile on his face.

"Hello kitty cat and you too half-breed. You miss me?" he asked them while twirling his cane, "You know, we really go to stop meeting like this. People are gonna talk."

Both Blake and Clair had scowls on their faces as they charged Roman. The thief thought he could be a match for both of them, but he was wrong. While Blake attacked him with both her semblance and weapon, Clair slashed at him with his claws keeping the thief off balance during the fight. Blake decided to finish the final with a single blow. Using her semblance, she created an ice copy of herself that trapped Roman's cane in it. She then unleashed a powerful slash that sent the thief flying. Roman collided with the door to the next car and landed on his back. He tried to get up but was stopped by Clair who placed his knee on his chest and poised his claws at the throat.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you." He said to Roman. The thief looked to Blake who just walked up next to Clair. He nervously chuckled but then cleared his throat.

"Why are we fighting?" he asked the disguised Faunus, "I saw you at the rally. We're on the same side and you know it."

"No, we're not." Blake said in a stern tone.

* * *

Weiss watched as Titian traded blows with the White Fang lieutenant. She was both surprised and impressed by how he fought. He had no grace like she does with her fencing, but his accuracy and balance were spot on. The lieutenant was having trouble landing a single blow on Titian while the ex-commander was hitting the White Fang member with every opening he could find. The blows continued to be landed until an opening was found in Titian's defenses. He jumped to deliver a slash to lieutenant's face but was grabbed by the neck.

"You want to be a knight in shining armor?" the lieutenant asked in a threatening tone, "Then DIE LIKE ONE!"

He then slammed Titian face first into the floor.

"TITIAN!" Weiss cried out of concern and shock.

"DIE IN FRONT OF YOUR PRINCESS!" the lieutenant yelled and threw Titian into the air. The young soldier hit the ceiling and started to fall. As he fell, the lieutenant swung his blade at him. He was surprised to see the heiress block his blade as Titian fell to the floor, unconscious.

"So, the princess can fight." He said in a mocking tone.

"You won't touch him." She said in a stern voice, laced with a hint of anger.

* * *

Yang stomped towards Neo with the intent to hurt her severely. She was mad at her for taunting her during the whole fight, but she was even more angry with the fact that this girl would injure her own brother. Argent was willing to try and talk some sense into Neo, but the little Hench girl wouldn't have it. Even if the huntsman in training didn't want his sister injured, she would make Neo suffered the consequences of hurting her own family. Getting close enough, Yang tried to punch the ice cream themed girl only to be pushed back.

Neo was countering everything that Yang was throwing at her and it put a smile on her face. She enjoyed irritating this girl, not only because it kept her unfocused but also for the fun of it. As the blonde brawler continued to throw punches she continued to counter until she finally decided to end the fight. She grabbed Yang by the arm and threw her into the ceiling, causing her to fall to the floor, rendering her unconscious. She had a victorious smile on her face as she walked up to Yang's body.

* * *

Blake had her sword up to Torchwick's throat to make sure he didn't try anything. Clair had backed off the moment she stepped in.

"Eh, still feisty." Roman said, "So, what are we going to do now?"

"Is that a trick question?" Clair asked in annoyance, "You're going to prison."

"I wasn't talking to you. Do you really think a little bow on top is going to make people forget what you were? What you've done?"

"Maybe not," she answered, "but it goes to show that anyone can change."

Before she could say or do anything else, the door behind her opened. Both her and Clair saw Weiss come flying through it landing on the floor of the train, struggling to get up. The lieutenant walked through with the with the intent to kill.

"So, what's it going to be Blake?" Torchwick asked. His answer was the disguised Faunus sheathing her weapon and kicking him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

"You read my mind." Clair said before he and Blake moved to assist Weiss. Blake checked on the heiress and found her unconscious. Clair stood in front of them both with his claws at the ready.

"I will make you pay for your five years of terror!" The lieutenant said with anger laced in his voice.

"Take your best shot." Clair answered with no fear. As the White Fang member charged, an explosion impacted his back and he fell to the floor unconscious. Clair and Blake looked to see Titian standing a few feet away with his rifle aimed where the lieutenant was standing. He lowered it seeing the threat was neutralized.

"Sorry I took so long." He apologized as he put away his weapon and stepped forward. He then looked to Weiss. "How is she?"

"She'll be okay." Blake answered. Titian gave a sigh of relief and picked up Weiss bridle style.

"Let's get to the front of the train." Clair said, and all three awake members continued forward.

* * *

Neo pulled on the end of her umbrella, revealing a hidden blade as she continued to walk toward Yang's unconscious form. Once she was next to it, the blade was fully unsheathed. Reverse gripping it, she raised it up and poised to strike. She was grinning like a mad woman at this point, reveling in the fact that no could stop her…or so she thought.

As she brought the blade down, something caught in her eyes and she had to close them. Removing what the object was, Neo saw it was a piece of cloth. Throwing it aside she went to check on her handiwork. When she looked though, she was horrified at what she saw. Argent had woken up to witness what Neo was about to do to Yang and took action. He had thrown a piece of cloth in Neo's face, hoping to throw off her aim. Seeing that didn't work, he used his body as a human shied and got impaled through the arm.

Neo slowly walked up to Argent, fearing that she had injured his arm beyond healing. Sure, she would kick him aside so that she could fight, but she would never do something like that. She would rather die than severely injure the only family she had left. She stopped a few inches short when Argent looked at her. There was no anger on his face, just pain and sadness. Pain from getting stabbed and sadness from being betrayed. The ice cream themed girl looked back and forth between Argent and Yang and remembered something from the past. A time before she and her brother were against each other.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _A seven-year-old Neo sat on a bench, waiting for her big brother to return to her with some ice. She had gotten in a fight with some kids for picking on Argent. Just because he was shorter than her doesn't mean they had the right to make fun of him. He didn't cry but she could see the hurt in his eyes. She smiled to herself as she thought about the beating, she gave them. They were crying for their mommy's while running away from her. Neo didn't get out of the fight unscathed though. She had a left black eye for her trouble._

 _"I hope you're not smiling about the kids running away from you." Said a familiar voice. Turning to the source she saw a ten-year-old Argent walking up to her with some ice wrapped in a cloth. Even though he was ten, he was short for his age, being a few inches shorter than Neo. He sat down next to her and placed the ice on her eye. Neo nodded proud of what she had done. She stopped smiling when she saw her brother's face supporting a scowl._

 _"What you did was not okay!" he said in a stern tone, "What would mom think?!"_

 _He immediately regretted saying that. Their mother had died of an illness a few months back, so the wound was still fresh. Neo had tears in her eyes, about to cry from hearing what Argent had said. The older brother immediately hugged her hoping to make his sister feel better._

 _"I'm sorry." He apologized, "I'm so sorry. That was wrong of me to say. She would probably be angry at us both. Me not being a good big brother and you not simply spanking those kids."_

 _Neo laughed at hearing the last part. Hearing her mood lighten up, Argent let go of her and looked her in the eyes._

 _"I'll make you a promise." He said, "I won't intervene with you pounding the other kids if they continue to make fun of my size. I'll admit, it does hurt my feelings when they make fun of me. So much that I want to punch them…but know what happens if I do punch something."_

 _Neo nodded her head in understanding._

 _"However, if I do intervene then you have to stop. Promise?"_

 _Neo understood what he said immediately. If Argent intervened that means he made a friend. With a smile on her face, she intertwined her pinkie around his and made that promise._

 _Flashback end_

* * *

It was like that ever since. When he was bullied, he never intervened at Neo gave them the pounding they deserved. Finally, his growth spurt kicked in, but the bully still didn't stop. Even after he got taller than her, he was still bullied by everyone. She became a crook solely for the purpose of making the people who picked on her brother feel unsafe like he did when they picked on him and it has been that way ever since. Seeing him now, with a blade in his arm made her remember the promise they both made, and for the first time in years, he intervened. He had made a true friend.

Neo carefully pulled the blade out of his arm. Argent grunted in pain but didn't cry out. His aura immediately healed up the wound. Looking to his sister, Argent saw that tears were in her eyes, but she had a smile on her face.

 _I'm so happy you finally made a friend._ She signed with her hands after putting the blade away. Argent smiled as well, knowing that she would back off. Seeing him throw himself in harm's way to protect Yang made Neo see that the blonde brawler was his friend. She wouldn't bother her again for as long as she lived. His thoughts interrupted as a flash caught his eye and a figure dashed towards his sister.

"NEO LOOK OUT!" Argent shouted, causing Neo to see the figure dashing towards her, sword at the ready. She narrowly dodged the swings, almost getting cut in the process. The figure sheathed the blade and stayed where it was. Being a safe distance away, Neo could make out the figure.

From the shape of the body, she could tell it was a woman. She couldn't tell how old because of the mask she was wearing. She had black hair that reached down her back. She wore what looked like a red and black themed kimono with short sleeves and skirt. Her black boots reached past her hips, upwards, making her look tall. The most intimidating feature was the weapon she carried. It looked like a Gatling gun with multiple dust cartridges in it. It severed as the sheath for the sword she carried. The dust in the sheath turned until it settled on red. The figure then slowly unsheathed the sword which looked to be 4 to 5 feet long. It was a warning, telling Neo to get lost. The ice cream themed girl got the message and vanished from sight.

The woman then looked to Yang and Argent. The blonde brawler was still unconscious, but the silver haired student stood to his full height. He had a scowl on his face and his right hand was on the hilt of his axe, ready to draw it if necessary. The woman just slashed away from them and a portal appeared. She sheathed her sword and started to walk away, but Argent kept his eyes on her. He then heard stirring and looked to see Yang was waking up. She got up by herself and only got a glimpse of the woman as she passed through the portal and it closed.

"You OK?" she heard and looked to Argent who had a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking." She replied, "Come on. Let's go meet up with the others."

Nodding his head in agreement, Argent followed Yang to the front of the train.

* * *

Back on the top of the train, Ruby, Theodore and Oobleck were dealing with the paladins that kept coming at them. The silver eyed student and professor ("DOCTOR!") dealt with the paladins while the young sorcerer made sure the Faunus lived. After dealing with the next paladin, two more started running towards them.

"Ruby! Theodore! You two go on ahead!" Oobleck told his students.

"But…" Ruby replied in a worried tone.

"Don't worry, Ruby. It's time I teach them a lesson." The doctor said in a serious tone and started running towards the paladins.

 _I pity those White Fang thugs._ Theodore thought to himself. He then noticed Zwei looking at Ruby with pleading eyes. _Oh! Now they're gonna get it._

"Go." Ruby said to Zwei with a smile. The dog then raced towards Oobleck to assist. Ruby then turned to Theodore. "Let's go."

"You don't have to tell me twice." He replied and ran right next to her. They reached the front of the train and looked for the opening. Behind them, the rest of their teams came to the top. Ruby's face went from determination to shock when she saw what was up ahead. It was a double steel door with yellow and black stripes in the middle. They were racing towards the dead end.

"Bollocks." Was all Theodore could say when he noticed the dead end.

"What do we do?" Blake asked. Ruby and Weiss looked at each other with smirks. The heiress then created a ball of ice around them for protection.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Titian shouted as they were completely covered by the ice. They then heard crashes, and everything went black.

Team RWBY and Team CATT awoke to sirens. Not the type on police cars, but the ones for bombing or attack warnings. They noticed the rubble around them and concluded that they survived the crash. Looking around, they noticed people looking at them in surprise.

 _We survived the crash._ Ruby thought to herself.

 _We're in the middle of Vale._ Clair said in his mind.

 _If we're in Vale, then that means…_ Weiss didn't finish her out of fear.

 _Oh no!_ Was all Theodore thought as the ground started to shake. Behind them popped out the Grimm, who immediately started to attack the citizens of Vale. They ran out of fear and desperation to not get eaten. It was clear to everyone, huntsman, student and citizen. The kingdom's defenses had been breached. The Grimm were invading.

* * *

 **AN: Hello readers! Thank you for your patience through my absence. I have a crowded schedule with school and won't be able to submit chapters for a while. Again, thank you for your patience and continued support. Sentinel Prime out!**


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